Project Scipio III: Apocalypse
by Tsunamix
Summary: 100 years after XANA's last defeat, the world has fallen into ruin and chaos. In a city divided by class, a violent gang leader and his friend stumble upon the secrets of Lyoko and awaken a new enemy. What they don't know is that they also uncovered a government plot that could spell the end of what remains of humanity. Rated M for violence and suggestive themes.
1. Prologue

**And now, it is with great pleasure that I bring you the final installment of the Project Scipio trilogy: Project Scipio 3: Apocalypse. Taking place a century after our heroes defeated XANA for good, this story will open a entirely new chapter of the saga, while still sticking to the same story. The M rating should be noted as this story is not for the faint of heart (Will contain scenes of torture, maiming, etc). So enjoy, if you can.**

**DISCLAIMER 1: I do not own Code Lyoko or any of the other media that is parodied/referenced within this story. Those titles belong to their respective copyright holders.**

**DISCLAIMER 2: I DO NOT condone any of the controversial actions performed by any of these characters. Their actions only serve as an explicit commentary of the violence and other evils that plague our world.**

**DISCLAIMER 3: ALL PERSONS/EVENTS REPRESENTED IN THIS STORY ARE FICTIONAL. ANY SIMILARITY TO ACTUAL PERSONS/EVENTS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS UNINTENTIONAL AND PURELY COINCIDENTIAL.**

**So without further ado…**

* * *

2031: XANA defeated by Calvin Stern and co.

2032: XANA defeated for the second time by Calvin Stern and co.

2040: World economy encounters another huge slump.

2045: Stock markets crash as European Union is hit hard.

2048: United States overthrown in a coup after President is assassinated; American Republic formed.

2052: France secedes from EU as Eurozone grows closer to collapse.

2053: American Republic unanimously votes to invest solely on nuclear energy; more nuclear plants are created as hazardous waste is disposed of in concrete/steel containment units buried near the Ogallala Aquifer.

2057: As a result of hyperinflation and civil unrest as a result of the failing economy, the European Union dissolves.

2060: Nuclear waste containment units spring leaks and waste spills in the aquifer, irradiating all groundwater.

2061: 125 million Americans die as a result of radiation poisoning; more than 100 million remain sick. All nuclear plants shut down as reliance on fossil fuels returns.

2062: In a response to Europe's economic crisis, Russia cuts off all energy supply.

2066: William Dunbar III is elected president of France. New legislation passed to control the French economy. France saved from potential collapse.

2070: Unrest in Middle East causes the OPEC nations to cut off all oil supply to America.

2075: As gas prices rise, civil unrest throughout the American Republic continues; martial law enacted.

2076: To distract the public, the President of the American Republic declares war on China, Russia and North Korea over control of the last remaining resources. Japan, Great Britain and South Korea side with the Republic.

2077: New strain of avian flu hits the American public. Millions are left to die as the government refuses to research to find a cure until the war is over.

2078: Peoples' Republic of China plunged into civil war.

2079: Flu virus spreads to Africa, Australia and South America. Hundreds of millions die as the spread continues.

2080: Over 1 billion Chinese die as a result of both wars. American Republic, Japan and Great Britain razed by nuclear fallout and North and South Korea destroy each other. Projected world population: 4 billion.

2081: India destroyed by series of earthquakes and tsunamis. Word population: 2 billion.

2084: In France, William Dunbar III dies and is succeeded by his eldest son: William Dunbar IV.

2090: Earthquakes hit the Canary Islands. La Palma sinks causing a megatsunami that flattens the eastern seaboard and devastates parts of South America, Africa and Europe. World population: 1.5 billion.

2095: Mauna Loa in Hawaii erupts causing megatsunamis to flatten Japan and the western coast of North America.

2100: Last remaining Americans evacuated to the most habitable place on the planet: Siberia.

2110: France, with its newfound power, declares war on Spain; Spain and Portugal destroyed.

2120: France declares war on Germany and surrounding nations. All are destroyed.

2122: French cities secede from France as a response to the aggression and become separate city-states.

2123: Paris destroys all remaining city-states. Continues its conquest as Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Greece and Slavic countries fall. World Population: 500 million.

2127: Entire Île-de-France region becomes part of Paris as the city-state is divided along the Seine River, effectively splitting Paris into North and South Paris. The high class and government are placed in the North, while the rest are placed in the South. 100-foot tall wall is erected along the Seine to prevent the two sides from clashing.

2131: North Paris launches all its nuclear warheads razing the rest of Europe and killing the entire population. World population: 1 million.

2132: Paris is now the last surviving civilization on the planet; our story begins…

* * *

In the ruins of an old school in the south of Paris, four teens were sitting amongst themselves at the farthest table of what used to be its cafeteria. It has turned to a popular hangout for people like them. They were part of a youth gang; the most notorious one to run free in the streets of Paris. But this gang was different from the rest. Unlike the other gangs who only raided the South, this gang managed to breach The Wall and even hold ground in North Paris. Another unique feature of this gang was that, unlike the other gangs who cared more about the reward of the hunt, the leader of this gang, a hotheaded revolutionary, fought for something different: Revenge against his government.

On his far right was a blonde haired, blue eyed young man with a sleeveless t-shirt, thick black pants and dress shoes. A short but well built man for being only 18 years old, he served his leader's partner in crime. This was Isaac Della Robbia.

To the leader's sides were his man-at-arms to his right and second-in-command to his left. They both wore what Isaac wore, but with coal black overcoats on as well. The slender 18-year old at his left had black hair shaved into a buzz cut and the tall, muscular 18-year old to his right had long brown hair that reached his shoulders. They were Danny and Redmond respectively.

In the center sat the 17-year old leader himself. With a menacing smile on his face and his long, black hair combed over his right eye, he looked ahead at all his subordinates scattered throughout the room. He wasn't just the leader of one gang. He was feared and revered by all of South Paris' youth gangs and was crowned their Supreme Prince, as the title for it was called. Armed with a vest full of knives hidden under his custom-made black uniform, he was no doubt a formidable opponent. He looked over his subordinates while sipping from his bottle of 190-proof liquor, silently reminding them exactly who their leader was. This was their leader. This was Caleb Stern.

The four sat in the ruins of the school's cafeteria reminiscing over what they did during the evening. As with most gangs, this one enjoyed the rewards of their actions. However, their actions were much more despicable than the other gangs and they had unmatched power. They didn't do their acts of violence for any physical reward as the violence itself was enough to give such great pleasure to their leader. They made sure their presence left enough scars, physical and mental, to know why they are to never be messed with as their beatings were far above the menial bullying of typical Southern gangs. This happened every evening in North Paris until Caleb felt quite satisfied with himself.

And this evening had been no different...

* * *

It was only three hours ago. Caleb had been wandering the streets, knife in hand, making sure that all the other gangs and citizens were in line. Every once in a while, he would turn his head to see if anyone was looking out their windows and watching him pass by. He enjoyed seeing the fear in their eyes as his cold, hard stares penetrated their souls. He knew no other gang would dare try to take him on unless they felt incredibly lucky or were incredibly stupid. Just then, he heard a commotion from around the corner. Caleb, sensing it to be another street fight or rival gang's actions, knew this was something he had to intervene in and that it was going to be fun.

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	2. The Gangs Are All Here

The commotion happened to come from the entryway of a nearby hotel. There, tied to the doorframe by her wrists and ankles, was a young woman, gagged and half-naked. In front of her stood four young men, fondling and torturing her while she could only scream, although muffled by the cloth tied around her mouth. The men tore off more of her clothing until she was standing in only her panties. Eventually, their fun was interrupted after a small chuckle was heard.

"Well…" The young bystander said. "If it isn't Vince Giorgio and his gang of ne'er-do-wells. Enjoying a fine treat are we now?"

"Ahh, Prince Caleb." The leader of the gang said. He was a heavily-built man with a shaved head dressed in khakis and dog tags as well as sunglasses over his eyes. "Fancy meeting you here on such a lovely night."

"What did I tell you about setting foot on my property? Must I teach you this lesson for a fourth time?" Caleb said gesturing towards his opponent's left hand, which consisted of his thumb, his little finger and three smaller stubs where his other fingers once stood.

"It won't be yours for long." Vince said. "Once we kill you, I'll take my rightful place as Supreme Prince of all of South Paris."

"Such hubris." Caleb said. "I guess I'm willing to dance if you and your little friends are."

"What do you say, boys?" Vince asked. The other three just shouted in agreement as they drew their weapons and charged towards Caleb.

Just then, like a quick flash of light, one of the men was struck with a blunt object and fell to the ground clutching his head. He looked up to see a blond haired man carrying a large staff.

"Isaac, you came." Caleb said. "And not a moment too soon."

"Surely you've invited us as well." Another voice from around the corner said. The others turned to see two other assailants in long coats grab the arms of the other two henchmen and wrap them behind their back.

"Redmond. Danny." Caleb said. "Good to see you."

"My pleasure, Prince Caleb." Danny said.

"Three's a crowd but four's a party." Redmond said.

"Just you and me now, Vince." Caleb said reaching into his uniform and pulling out two knives. "_En garde!_"

Vince pulled out a large machete and charged towards Caleb. Caleb just stood there blocking each swing with his knives. Vince swung, but Caleb just blocked with little effort at lightning fast speed. Eventually, Caleb dodged a blow aimed for his neck and slashed Vince's hand, causing him to drop his weapon. Caleb then grabbed his bottle of liquor and took a huge swig. Just then, Vince got up and punched Caleb in the stomach; Caleb fell to the ground as his companions looked in shock.

"Not much of a big shot, are you now?" Vince said grabbing his weapon. "Any last words?"

"Mhhm Mm Mhhm Mm." Caleb said in a muffled voice.

"What?" Caleb then spat out the liquor he had in his mouth and on to his adversary's face.

"I said 'No more second chances'." Caleb then took another swig, lit a match and spat it out with the match in front of his face creating an impromptu flame thrower that set Vince's face on fire. Vince just ran around screaming, trying to put the flames out as Isaac, Redmond and Danny prepared to wail on the other three. Eventually, Vince stopped running and fell to the ground dead.

"Alright, guys. I think these bastards had enough." Caleb said. He then turned to the badly beaten gang members. "You fuckers ever come near my territory again, I'll cut _your_ fucking limbs off and feed them to my rats!"

The others just ran off without a second thought.

"Redmond, take care of this bitch." Caleb said gesturing to the tied up woman. "The rest of you come with me. We got bigger fish to fry."

"To North Paris?" Danny asked.

"An aristocrat has been spotted taking victims of the Grand Army's purges and nailing them in the forest." Caleb said. "We shall go and teach him a lesson."

"Yes, my Prince." Danny said as he and Isaac ran off to the north. Caleb paused and walked up to Vince's corpse; he took out a knife and cut his right hand off and put it in his pocket.

"Redmond, meet up with us at The Wall by the Tesla when you're finished."

"Yes, my Prince." Redmond said.

* * *

In a short time, after dispatching of the guards on the top, the four met up at the top of The Wall. There, they were able to get a view of the city in the north. A wooded area stood by The Wall, but as it got farther away more and more buildings started to show and eventually an entire city was in sight; there were bright lights everywhere, but the most striking feature was a large tower in the center dwarfing even the next tallest building. On the base, the lights seemed to form a diamond shaped eye-like symbol. Right above it in the sky was a bluish, aurora-like cloud. In the skies was a large, black figure patrolling the city. The only light from the figure came from a large spotlight on the front of the figure that was scanning the ground below it.

"Alright, I'm here." They heard Redmond say as he approached the other three.

"Very well." Caleb said. "You have our costumes, Isaac?"

"Yes, my Prince." Isaac said.

"Let's not waste any time then." Caleb said as they climbed down from The Wall to the northern side.

In the bushes near The Wall was an aged, white Tesla Roadster. Caleb took the driver's seat while Isaac took the passenger's seat with Redmond and Danny riding on the back.

As Caleb drove through the night towards his destination, he decided to have a little fun on the road. Examining his surroundings, he saw something that caught his interest.

"Isaac. Cyclist." Caleb said noticing a man on his bicycle riding along the street.

Isaac immediately pulled off part of his staff revealing a large knife in the center. He held it out like a jousting lance and stabbed the cyclist in the back, killing him.

"Bystander!" Caleb said. Isaac held out his blade and stabbed the nearby bystander.

"Dog!" Redmond shouted. Caleb just swerved hard to the next lane, running over the small animal with an evil grin on his face.

* * *

Minutes later, the four arrived at their destination: A large villa in the middle of the woods. The windows were still lit up indicating that someone was home. In the front of the house was a large flagpole with a black flag with a white eye-like symbol, similar to the one on the tower in the city.

"Alright, boys. Here's our stop." Caleb said. "Danny, get our costumes."

"Yes, my Prince." Danny said opening up the trunk revealing various novelty wear raided from a costume shop.

Isaac was passed a single surgical mask, Redmond was given a white cloth headband, a fake red nose and novelty glasses with swirls in the lenses and Danny grabbed another surgical mask and a pair of large triangle sunglasses. Caleb grabbed a nylon cape from the trunk and placed it around him. He then pulled out a container filled with ash from his pockets; he placed two fingers in it and rubbed it under his eyes.

"We all set?" Caleb asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Then let's grab us another trophy." Caleb said as the four headed out and got ready for the next part of their fun filled night.

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	3. The Aristocrat's Torture

Inside the house, a middle-aged man was sitting in the living room reading one of the various books he had. He was a dapper man dressed in formal attire, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and sporting a pencil mustache and neatly combed salt and pepper hair. As he was reading quietly to himself, he heard the doorbell ring.

"A visitor at this hour?" He said to himself.

He then walked over to the front door, but not before pulling out a large gun from a nearby closet. He then opened the door to find nobody.

"Alright, who's out there?" He shouted. Nothing was heard. He then went back inside the house.

"Who was it, dear?" A woman's voice said from the other room.

"Just some punks playing a practical joke." The man said.

The doorbell rang again. The man ran out with his gun.

"Alright, show yourself!" He shouted. Like before, nothing was heard.

"Cowards." The man grumbled to himself as he walked back inside and closed the door.

* * *

He walked back into the living room and picked up his book to read some more. Just then, he heard the sound of a window breaking and his wife screaming. Knowing something was wrong, he set the book down and ran into his bedchamber. Upon arriving there, he saw a horrible sight: Four hoodlums rummaging through his items and destroying his possessions while his wife just sat on the bed helpless.

"What are you doing here?" He asked angrily. "This is a private estate!"

"Hey guys, look what I found." Redmond said rummaging through the wife's underwear drawer.

"Nevermind that, Redmond." Caleb said. "Don't you see we have company?"

"You have five seconds to get out here before I call the police." The man said. Caleb just rushed over and pinned him to the ground.

"Franklin Dupre." Caleb said. "Otherwise known as 'The Carpenter'. It's so glad to meet you."

"How do you know me?" Franklin said. "Who are you?"

"You've been seen nailing the corpses of our brothers in your woods as trophies." Caleb said. "We've come as means of retribution."

"So you're here to kill me?" Franklin said. "Then do me in."

"Au Contraire, you sodding naïf." Caleb said. "Killing you in your state wouldn't do enough justice. See, I don't punish for crimes against humanity."

Caleb then tore part of a curtain out from a nearby window.

"I only balance things out." Caleb said. "Danny, tie up the woman. Isaac, go through the rest of the house and destroy everything of value."

"What about me, my Prince?" Redmond asked.

"You stay here and hold him steady." Caleb said.

As Danny was tying up Franklin's wife to the bed posts by her wrists and ankles, Caleb took the piece of curtain and shoved it inside his victim's mouth. Redmond then took out a hand-made thorn whip and placed it around Franklin's mouth. Caleb took out two knives and stabbed them in his feet, pinning him to the ground as he screamed in pain; he took out another two knives and stabbed his hands and pinned them to the wall.

While this was going on, Danny, after tying up his victim, put on two wrist blades and used them to cut off the poor woman's clothing. Caleb then took out another knife and made a deep cut in the skin above Franklin's knees. He then placed two fingers in each cut and ripped the skin right off exposing his kneecaps. Franklin could only scream in pain and fear as Caleb took the knife and sliced at the tendons right above each kneecap; he then placed his hands on the kneecaps and ripped them right out.

"Is the woman prepared, Danny?" Caleb asked. Danny nodded showing the woman bound up and completely naked.

"Redmond, hold him steady." Caleb said lowering his bottoms. "I want him to get a good look at this."

* * *

When the deed was done, the four headed back to South Paris. Needing to refresh themselves after a long day, they headed to some nearby ruins where the gangs of South Paris would often meet. They called it 'Kac Ady', after the remaining letters on the gate. When they reached their table, they found someone already sitting there.

"Redmond. Isaac. Danny. Go get yourselves something to drink. I'll handle this." Caleb said.

"Can I help you?" The girl sitting at the table said.

"Excuse me dear, but I believe you're in my seat." Caleb said.

"I don't see your name on it." She said.

"I'm sorry, but do you know who I am?" Caleb asked.

"Duh." She said. "But why does it matter? You don't own the Kac Ady."

"I beg to differ." Caleb said pulling out a knife.

Meanwhile, the other three were at the front ready to make their order.

"What can I get for you gentlemen?" The lady at the counter asked.

Just then, something hit the counter with a loud thud. They looked and saw the corpse of the girl at Caleb's table covered in blood and with knives in her eyes.

"Hey guys, I saved you a table." Caleb said.

"Just three waters." Isaac said.

The three each grabbed a glass of water and went to the table that Caleb 'saved' for them. Caleb didn't get anything; after all, he still had his bottle of 190-proof.

As the four sat and drank, Caleb just looked ahead at his subordinates scattered across the room. Should they try anything, he'd be ready. As he continued to look around, he saw something that caught his eye: A young woman with long, black hair was walking into the ruins and making her way to the counter. What caught Caleb's eye (and everyone else's) was the way she was dressed: A fancy black uniform with a black skirt nothing like that even the most influential of South Paris's residents could possibly obtain.

She must've come from the city in the north and, judging by the insignia on the brooch resting on her bosom, she could even be part of the inner circle. As this point, Caleb could've just run over, slit her throat and thrown her carcass in the river, but at the same time, there was something so entrancing about her that made Caleb just sit there and watch her as she walked away. When she eventually saw Caleb staring at her, she immediately froze as if she had seen him before, but Caleb just smiled and raised his liquor bottle towards her. She just smiled back and walked away.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Redmond asked. "Kill her."

Caleb swiftly moved his hand in front of Redmond's crotch and strongly grasped it, squeezing his testicles. Redmond then screamed in pain as Caleb let go of him just as quick as he grabbed him. Everyone just stopped what they were doing and faced him.

"What was that for?" Redmond asked.

"For being an ignorant sod." Caleb said. "Where are your manners, dear Redmond? She did no harm to us, did she not?"

"She's still rich scum, is she not?" Redmond said. "If you had any true leadership, you would do the right thing and wipe this rich scum from the face of the remnants of this god forsaken planet."

"Would you crush an ant just because it was on your picnic table causing no harm to you or your friends?" Caleb asked.

"You do that all the time." Danny said.

"I don't consider the South Parisian's to be ants, Danny." Caleb said. "After all, they're on the same level as we are."

"If I were in charge of the picnic, I would." Redmond said.

"Is that a challenge?" Caleb said smirking as he slowly opened his uniform, showing his vest of knives.

"Nevermind." Redmond said.

"I think you've learned your lesson." Caleb said. "Let us retire for the night and come again another day."

"Yes, my Prince." The other three said.

With the other three going their separate ways, Caleb made his way through the streets of South Paris until he reached his home. Where he lived was a run down, dilapidated factory resting on an island in the River Seine, right next to The Wall, not too far from the Kac Ady. The bridge was long gone, so Caleb had to walk across the shallow river and walk inside through one of the holes in the walls that age had brought upon.

He got inside, relieved himself on the floor, stripped down and washed himself with a bucket of fresh water. When he was finished, he put his underwear back on, rummaged through the pockets of his clothing to pull out Vince's hand and the two kneecaps that belonged to the aristocrat Franklin Dupre and threw them down a staircase. Caleb then hopped onto a mattress on the floor, ready for sleep.

But first, he decided to end the day with a good book and what better than a book by one of his favorite authors, Stephen King. The book of choice was simply titled _The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon_. He only had the first forty pages, but it didn't matter to him as it had everything he enjoyed in a good book, or even life itself. He flipped through the pages in his hand as he read each word slowly and carefully as he wished to be fully immersed in the story itself. To him, the story flowed like a silk tapestry fresh off the loom it was spun on and made to fly in the wind without a care in the world. As he pleasured himself, he became immersed in his own fantasies.

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	4. A Change In Ways

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Caleb heard someone shout as he woke up the very next morning.

"Ugh, wha…?" Caleb said as he looked and saw a young boy around eleven years old with messy, black hair and raggedy clothing. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"I was just going to tell you that Redmond and Danny are waiting for you outside." The boy said. "Should I tell them you're coming?"

"Is Isaac with them?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah." The boy said.

"Good." Caleb said. "Bring them in."

In a short time, the trio was brought into Caleb's lair and made their way towards him. The boy who led them in went up to Caleb.

"I brought them in." He said. "Just like you asked."

"Good boy." Caleb said handing him a pack of cigarettes. "This should do you."

"Caleb, you know I don't smoke." He said.

"Then buy yourself something useful." Caleb said. "Now leave us be while we talk."

"Yes, Caleb." The boy said as he ran off.

"So what can I do for you, my brothers?" Caleb asked.

"Don't 'brothers' us, you swine." Danny said. "We came here to discuss a change in things."

"A change in things?" Caleb asked. "I've never authorized a change."

"Not yet." Redmond said.

"You see, Prince Caleb, Red and I have been talking and we decided that your services to us have been…how do I put this? Less than adequate."

"What services?" Caleb said. "As my mercenaries, you're only meant to serve _me_."

"We want compensation!" Danny said. "Rewards for our indentured servitude towards you."

"And what makes you think I'll authorize that?" Caleb asked. "If you want goods so bad, take them. You want a bed at night, steal a mattress. You want a house to sleep in, kill a homeowner. You want a woman so badly, take one from the streets and make her yours."

"Why should we do that when you can do it for us?" Danny asked.

Caleb said nothing. He just walked over to his clothing and pulled out his knife vest. Quick as lightning, he put it on, drew out a knife and slashed Danny in the face. He then picked him up and threw him in the river. Redmond charged towards him, but Caleb pinned him down, jumped on top of him and slowly ran the blade of his knife down his cheek. He then grabbed him and threw him in the river alongside Danny. Isaac didn't bother to try and reason with him; he knew he was too powerful.

"So where were we?" Caleb asked.

"You know what, Prince Caleb?" Danny said. "You're right."

"Of course." Caleb said.

"I'd like to make another proposal, however." Danny said. "And it won't cost you anything."

"I'm listening." Caleb said.

"Tonight marks the release date of Zanbato Industries' newest technological innovation." Danny said. "They call it Scipio 2.0."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"Not us." Danny said. "Just you."

"Just me?" Caleb asked.

"You're going to sneak into the Zanbato Industries main building, hack into the servers and inevitably delay, or even destroy, the project."

"And why is this so important?" Caleb asked.

"We have reason to believe that the regime is using the project in an attempt to wipe South Paris off the face of the map." Redmond said. "You destroy the project; you become a hero to everyone."

"I'll do it." Caleb said. "But only to protect my people."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Isaac asked. "Zanbato Industries is a regime-owned corporation that controls the digital infrastructure of the city. Breaking into it would be like trying to steal the Declaration of Independence in Fort Knox."

"Doesn't sound too bad then." Caleb said. "When do we attack?"

"Once the sun goes beyond the horizon, we'll go to the Tesla and make our way to the city center."

"Sounds like a plan." Caleb said.

* * *

Hours later, the four met up by The Wall and hopped in the Tesla. They drove through the back roads of the deeply wooded areas of North Paris until they reached the first signs of the city. Bright lights paved the road as pedestrians in formal attire casually walked along the sidewalks past larger than life buildings. Caleb just drove casually along the streets, hoping not to draw any attention.

"Artemis!" Isaac shouted. Caleb looked up and noticed a giant figure in the sky with a large spotlight. It was _Artemis_, the regime's personal aircraft used to patrol the streets.

"We'll hide in the mausoleum." Caleb said as they took a sharp left turn and crashed through a large metal gate and into a solid concrete building.

The building spanned for hundreds of yards across and on the top was an inscription:

**MAUSOLEUM OF THE ETERNAL PATRIARCH WILLIAM DUNBAR III**

"Glad we stopped here." Caleb said. "I gotta take a piss anyway."

He then ran inside the mausoleum until he came across a glass sarcophagus with the preserved body of the regime's first leader. He broke the sarcophagus open with his foot and proceeded to urinate on the corpse.

"Rest in hell, my liege." Caleb said laughing manically. He then went back into the car and drove until they reached the back end of the Zanbato Industries building. It was the same building with the eye-like symbol formed from the lights and the blue aurora in the sky.

"How much time do we have?" Caleb asked.

"Ten minutes." Danny said.

"Isaac, come with me." Caleb said. "You try and hack security while I sneak in to the mainframe."

"Yes, my Prince." Isaac said.

Isaac then placed a device on the keypad on the back door. The device searched through all possible codes until it picked the right one that opened the door.

"Alright, let's go." Caleb said as the two ran in.

* * *

Meanwhile at the top floor of the building, a board meeting was going on. The inventor of Scipio 2.0 was about to showcase his discovery to the inner circle and the other high ranking members.

"Without further delay, I'd like to turn this meeting over to our chairman, Mackie Jolivet." A woman said as the rest of the members applauded.

"Thank you." The man known as Mackie said. "Here with us today to showcase Zanbato Industries' newest discovery, we have the very man who brought upon its inception. The same man whose ancestor brought Zanbato Industries to its pinnacle of achievement with his own book 100 years ago."

Mackie turned to said man.

"Will Dunbar, ladies and gentleman." The rest of the members applauded as a young man in his early twenties gave a quick smile and raised his hand in greeting. He had a black tuxedo and had his back hair combed to the front.

"I thank you, Mackie." Will said. "I also have to thank for this my father: Our leader William Dunbar IV."

"How's he doing, by the way?" Mackie asked.

"He just finished radiation therapy and will be returning to the city in three days." Will said. "I also have to thank my uncle, my father's chief advisor and interim leader of North Paris: Hannibal Dunbar."

Will pointed to the man in question as the other members applauded. Hannibal, a well dressed man with a cane and white hair in a coif, just rolled his eyes.

"And lastly, I have to thank my baby brothers." Will said. "Theo and Jonah. Our lead strategist and brigade captain respectively."

A young man with black, curtained hair and sunglasses stood up followed by a teenager in a military uniform and a buzzcut walked over to his sides.

"I wouldn't be anything without my family." Will said. "They gave me the motivation I needed to revolutionize the modern world as we know it."

"I hope you fall down an elevator shaft, you prick." Hannibal said under his breath.

"Care to speak, Uncle?" Will said.

"No thanks." Hannibal said.

Back in the lower levels of the building, Caleb and Isaac were in close vicinity of their destination. Isaac shined a laser at a nearby security camera, temporarily disabling it. The two then ran up to the door at the end of the hallway and quickly made their way inside. They found themselves in a dimly lit room with a large, monolithic structure at the very end.

"Shhh." Caleb said as he slowly walked up to the structure, making sure not to trigger the pressure sensors, and removed one of the panels, revealing a series of wires and other hardware.

'This is bound to be booby trapped.' Caleb thought. He carefully browsed through the hardware until he saw one drive labeled 'Scipio'.

'Bingo.' Caleb thought as he carefully pulled out the drive and placed it in his pocket. He then pulled out another drive and placed it in the now vacant slot.

Caleb then placed the panel back on and slowly made his way out. Just then, he tripped and fell onto the ground, triggering the pressure sensors. The lights then went on as the alarm sounded.

"We gotta get out of here." Caleb said.

Back in the board room, Will was beginning to release his new technology when he saw a hand rise.

"Excuse me." A young woman said. It was the same woman who was at South Paris last night. "But what exactly is Scipio 2.0 meant to do?"

"Yes." Theo said. "I too would like to know about the specifics about this endeavor which you claim will revolutionize so much."

"Good question, my brother, and my fiancée." Will said turning to the woman after addressing his brother. "Scipio 2.0 is too powerful of an achievement to have any of its secrets leaked to those would be too ignorant to comprehend it. Once it goes into effect is when you can truly understand it."

He then pulled up his sleeve to reveal a type of wrist computer on his arm. He looked at the time and hooked it up so that his screen would display on the wall at the end of the room.

"Which is right…now." Will said hitting a button. To his surprise and to everyone else's surprise, the only thing that showed was a series of internet videos involving cats.

"What the…?" Will said as he began tapping furiously at his computer.

"What's going on?" Mackie said.

"Dunbar, is this some kind of joke?" One board member shouted.

"Why did I ever believe you could be even capable of any kind of 'revolutionary' feat?" Hannibal asked.

"Hannibal, shut up! I swear. I don't know how this happened." Will said still trying to address the problem.

"Well, fix it!" Mackie shouted. Just then, a hologram appeared on the table. "What now?"

"Sir, we've been compromised." The projection said. "Terabytes of data have been stolen from our mainframe."

"Do you have the thieves on pursuit?" Mackie asked.

"Yes sir. They're heading for the roof."

"Tell all your men to take the shortest route they can." Mackie said as he ran out of the room. "We're getting that data back."

Everyone else ran up to try to address the problem, except Will's fiancée who was rather amused by what had happened.

* * *

On the roof, Caleb and Isaac were already going over their next plan.

"What now, genius?" Isaac asked.

"Even if we die, the data dies with it." Caleb said. "Just follow my lead."

"Alright, freeze!" Mackie shouted as he and other security guards reached the roof and pointed guns at them.

Caleb and Isaac looked down.

"It doesn't have to end this way." Mackie said. "Come along slowly and give the data back."

"I don't think your boss seems to mind."

"You might want to rethink your statement." Mackie said laughing.

"No need to." Caleb said. "If it wasn't for my ancestor's book, William Dunbar Sr. wouldn't have stolen it to make Dunbar Publishers, Dunbar Publishers wouldn't have become Zanbato Publishers and Zanbato Publishers wouldn't have become Zanbato Industries."

"You're the descendent of Ulrich Stern." Mackie realized.

"Yep." Caleb said. "I knew about his fairy tales in the magical land of Lyoko. I wouldn't have guessed that this is what it would've led to."

Caleb then grabbed Isaac and leapt off the building. Caleb then pulled a cord opening a parachute.

"There's our ride." Isaac said pointing to the Tesla on the ground.

When they landed, the immediately hopped in and drove off at top speed.

"You survived?" Danny asked.

"You're surprised?" Caleb asked.

"No, but…" Just then, they heard the sounds of police sirens approaching and saw army vehicles riding alongside the Tesla.

"Fire at will." One of the officers shouted as army soldiers pulled out their rifles and began shooting the car.

"Hold on!" Caleb said as he made a sharp turn down a dirt road and made his way through the outskirts. At the same time, Will and his family were watching the pursuit on his wrist computer.

"What now?" Theo said. "I can't just send the entire army over missing data."

"I'll handle it." Will said punching in a few codes on his computer. "I'm calling in the Grand Army."

While the Tesla was driving through the outskirts with the police still on their tales, a bright spotlight shone overhead just as they were right next to The Wall.

"The _Artemis_!" Redmond shouted.

"Now we have the Grand Army to deal with." Isaac said.

Immediately, a series of ropes dropped down and dozens of armored soldiers dropped down and surrounded the vehicle; they pointed large, highly advanced guns at them.

"It's all over, you four." One of the officers said. "Place your hands in the air and come along slowly with the data in hand."

"What do we do now?" Isaac asked.

"I still have a trick under my sleeve." Caleb said. He pulled out a remote from the glove compartment and pressed one of the buttons. A trap door then opened up below the car as the car fell into the pit. The car then drove through a handmade tunnel right underneath The Wall and made its way to South Paris.

"Stand down." The officer said. "We can't risk an invasion. Not yet."

Back at Zanbato Industries, Will and the rest were dismayed over their loss.

"He got away." His fiancée said.

"Maybe, but at least we know who he is." Will said showing a picture on his screen of Caleb taken from the _Artemis_.

"What do we tell the public?" Jonah asked.

"Tell them that we're having technical difficulties that will be fixed shortly." Will said. "We will get that data back."

"How do you propose to do that?" His fiancée asked.

"That's where you come in." Will said as he turned to her and smiled.

* * *

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	5. The Discovery

Back in South Paris, the four met back at Caleb's place relieved that they were able to get away from such a close call.

"I can't believe we got away with that." Isaac said breathing heavily. "My heart's still racing."

"Good show, Danny." Caleb said. "Maybe I was wrong to doubt you."

"So I guess you'll be willing to compensate us then?" Danny asked.

"Sure sure." Caleb said walking away.

"Over my dead body." He muttered.

"So what do we do now?" Redmond asked.

"You three retire for the night." Caleb said. "I'll head out tomorrow and find out exactly what this data says."

"Yes, my Prince." The three said in unison as they headed out. Caleb then went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Caleb was walking across a large street until he came across a wide underpass. He made his way to one of the edges and moved part of the rock on the side off of it, revealing a large cave turned into a makeshift bar. Inside the bar, loud music was blaring and people were idly conversing among themselves. They froze as soon as they saw Caleb enter the vicinity.

"Lucky!" Caleb shouted to the bartender.

"Prince Caleb." Lucky said. "What brings you here?"

"I'd like a beer." Caleb said.

"Will that be all?" Lucky asked.

"No actually." Caleb said. He reached into his uniform and pulled out the drive he stole last night. "I need your help deciphering the contents of this."

Lucky picked up the device.

"I see." Lucky said. "Unfortunately, I don't have a machine that can operate this. However, the name on the label does seem awfully familiar. Hold on."

Lucky then went into the back room as Caleb began sipping his beverage. Just then, Isaac walked up to the bar.

"Prince Caleb." Isaac said.

"Isaac." Caleb said. "What brings you here?"

"It's my father's bar." Isaac said. "What brings you here?"

"Lucky's an archivist, remember?" Caleb asked.

"So?"

"So he should be able to help with the Scipio thing."

"Well, good luck." Isaac said.

"Isaac, my boy!" Lucky said returning. "Good to see you."

"You too, father." Isaac said.

"Caleb, I thought this would help." Lucky said throwing some stuff on the table.

"Let me see." Caleb said. He sifted through the documents and read them carefully.

They talked about a man by the name of Waldo Schaeffer and a government project he worked on more than a century ago. It continued to talk about four kids and their discovery of a large supercomputer hidden below a factory on the Seine River and how it was inhabited by an insane computer program and another virtual being who they saved. It also talked about the sons and daughters of the same kids and how they defeated the computer program once and for all.

"Where have I heard this before?" Caleb said laughing. "Oh, I remember. From my great-great grandfather's fairy tale book…"

"…Based on a true story." Lucky said.

"Bullshit." Isaac said.

"Watch your tongue, lad." Lucky said. "I thought it was crazy at first, but then I realized that my grandfather has never lied to me before."

"Sam was there?" Isaac asked.

"Of course. He was part of the second generation." Lucky said. "If you don't believe me, why not actually go under that factory you live in?"

"That elevator's no longer there; it's just an empty shaft." Caleb said.

"There's more than one way to go down an empty shaft." Lucky said. "I wouldn't be surprised if that supercomputer was still there and active."

"Worth a shot." Isaac said.

"Very well." Caleb said. "But first another round."

After going through a few rounds of beer each, they began joking amongst each other. Just then, the bar was silenced when a young woman entered the vicinity.

"Hey Caleb." Isaac said. "Isn't that the pretty girl from the Kac Ady?"

"So it is." Caleb said. "I think I'll treat her to a little something." He walked over to the jukebox and put in a coin. He then selected a song. The loudspeakers began blaring an old '80s song as Caleb began singing.

"_Here we stand."_

"_Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two."_

"_Sleepless nights."_

"_Losing ground  
I'm reaching for you, you, you."_

"_Feelin' that it's gone  
Can change your mind  
If we can't go on  
To survive the tide love divides."_

He then walked over to the woman, who was already confused at what was going on.

"_Someday love will find you  
Break those chains that bind you  
One night will remind you  
How we touched  
And went our separate ways  
If he ever hurts you  
True love won't desert you  
You know I still love you  
Though we touched  
And went our separate ways."_

* * *

Just then a gunshot went off. The patrons turned to see a young man with a cowboy hat and a long black jacket holding a pistol. Across his bare chest were two bandoliers filled with bullets. The man himself had a pale, scarred face and a wicked smile. His defining feature, however, was his heterochromia: One eye was blue, the other brown. Caleb immediately recognized the figure.

"Sharpshooter." Caleb said. "Come back for another round?"

"After what you did to Vince Giorgio, it only seems necessary." Sharpshooter said. He then turned to the North Parisian woman who was just standing their frightened. "Well, what do we have here?"

"Sharpshooter, this is between you and me." Caleb said.

"Then I hope you won't mind if I take care of your tasks for the moment."

"Hey!" Lucky shouted. "Take it outside you two! I don't want you killing more people than necessary."

"Fine then." Sharpshooter said. He then picked up the young woman and threw her to the ground outside.

Picking her up, he pinned her against the wall with his knee and tore off the top of her uniform, exposing her breasts.

"Not even wearing a bra, you filthy slut?" Sharpshooter asked. "Not the type of class I was expecting from a North Parisian."

"I like to express myself." She said.

"Drop her, Shooter." Caleb said. "This is between you and me."

Before anyone can blink, Sharpshooter drew his pistol, fired and put it back in his holster while Caleb drew a knife, deflected the shot and placed the knife back, all in less than a second.

"Even as a drunk, you're as quick as I remembered." Sharpshooter said. "Alright, _pendejo_, let's see what you got."

Caleb drew a knife and charged towards him while Sharpshooter drew two pistols and fired. Caleb deflected the bullets and moved the knife towards his opponent. Sharpstooter blocked the attack with the barrels of his guns. Anticipating this, Caleb drew another knife and slashed his opponent's hand, causing him to drop one of his pistols. Caleb then grappled him and pinned him to the ground. The next thing he heard was a gunshot as he felt a searing pain in his abdomen. The young woman, who had been watching the whole thing, was shocked as Caleb fell to the ground.

"Looks like I'll finally be taking my place as Supreme Prince." Sharpshooter said walking up to Caleb. "Good match, _hombre_."

Caleb then opened his eyes and grabbed Sharpshooter by the wrist and snapped it. He then jumped up and threw his body against the wall and finally slammed him against the floor.

"I don't think so." Caleb said.

"This isn't over." Sharpshooter said. "I will claim my throne soon enough."

Caleb then walked over to the woman.

"Get up." He said. "And for God's sake, make yourself decent."

"Woah, you're alive." Isaac said walking out.

"Let's get back to the factory." Caleb said. "I have a bullet lodged in my abdomen that I need to get out."

"Wait a minute." The woman said getting up after wrapping what remained of her top around her breasts. "I was ordered to find you and reclaim the data you stole. Now hand it over lest you be punished to the fullest extent of the law."

"Your laws have no jurisdiction here." Caleb said. "Especially when coming from a wench such as yourself."

"I have a name you know." She said. "It's Olivia."

"Caleb Stern." Caleb said. "This is my partner Isaac. You want the data, you're going to have to come with us."

"Why should I?" Olivia asked.

"You saw what Sharpshooter did to you." Caleb said. "Now imagine three or four of them ganging up on you."

"You really are a bunch of savages, aren't you?" Olivia asked.

"That's why I'm here." Caleb said. "To bring order where chaos reigns."

"Sounds like my boyfriend." She said to herself.

"Just stay with me and I'll make sure you come out alive." Caleb said as the three walked away.

"Why are you helping me?" Olivia asked.

"I dunno." Caleb said. "Because I find you attractive, I guess."

* * *

Eventually, the trio got to the factory. Caleb was sitting on his bed taking off his uniform when he saw broken glass and liquid spill out from it.

"Well that explains what softened the impact." Caleb said. He then grabbed a pair of rusty pliers and tried to extract the bullet.

"If I could just…" Caleb said trying to feel around.

"Mind if I take a look?" Olivia asked.

"Very well." Caleb said. Olivia looked inside the wound and managed to locate the bullet.

"Pliers." Olivia said. Caleb handed her the pliers and carefully placed them around the bullet.

"Hold still." She instructed. "Just carefully…"

She wiggled the pliers around until the bullet loosened up and was easily pulled out.

"Got it." She said. "Who was that guy anyway and why was he out to kill you?"

"Shooter 'Sharpshooter' Evans." Caleb said. "Second most powerful man in South Paris. The only one of my victims to come out alive."

"Victims?" Olivia asked.

"Caleb's the Supreme Prince of all of South Paris." Isaac added. "Gang leaders from all over try to challenge him with the hopes of claiming his throne."

"You guys live in gangs?" Olivia asked.

"There are two kinds of people in South Paris: Gangs and everyone else." Caleb said. "If you want to survive around here, you need followers and a need to fend for yourself regardless of whatever obstacles or circumstances. Here, actions have no consequences unless I say they do."

"That's not really ethical." Olivia said.

"What are ethics but an opinionated stance on how your people live?" Caleb asked rhetorically.

"Anyways, if we're going to find out what this Scipio thing is, we need to find that supercomputer." Isaac said.

"We can try climbing down the elevator shaft." Caleb said. "I remember seeing a set of rungs alongside the edge."

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Olivia said. "I want to find out more about this too."

"If you insist." Caleb said.

They then made their way to the shaft and, one at a time, carefully climbed down the rusty rungs.

"According to the schematics Father gave us, the computer should be at the very bottom floor." Isaac said.

"You heard him." Caleb said. "Keep climbing down."

Eventually, the three reached the bottom only to find that it was blocked off by a heavy door.

"Well, I guess that's it then." Olivia said.

"Not yet." Caleb said. "Isaac, see if you can rewire the door to open on command."

"Yes, my Prince." Isaac said as he pulled back a metal panel and began messing with the wires.

"In no time, Isaac will have the door opened and we will be able to…"

Just then, a ground shaking roar was heard as they saw the large door open before them. They could only stand there stunned as they looked at what was in front of them.

* * *

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	6. Enter XANA

The three looked inside to find an empty room. Empty except for a large monolithic structure, not unlike the one seen in Zanbato Industries the previous night. Except this one was twice as large and covered in cobwebs, obviously it had been down there for many years untouched.

"Holy fuck." Isaac said quietly. "The old man wasn't lying."

"Oh come on." Caleb said. "The regime could've just put this down here sometime before The Wall was built."

"I dunno." Olivia said walking up to the structure. "This inscription says otherwise. It says it was built in the 90s."

"So around the time the eastern seaboard of America got destroyed." Isaac said.

"I meant the 1990s." Olivia said. She then looked around and saw a large lever sticking out. "I believe this should activate it."

She pulled the lever. Immediately after, a loud rumbling was heard as all the lights in the room went on at once. The trio just stared in awe as the whole room seemed to come alive after nearly a century of dormancy.

"So what now?" Isaac asked.

"Caleb, do you still have that drive?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, but you aren't getting it." Caleb said. "How do I know that you won't run off with it?"

Olivia just sighed.

"Just put it in the slot right by the lever." She said. Caleb did as she told him and placed the drive in a small opening right by the lever; the drive was a perfect fit.

"Now what?" Caleb asked.

"According to the schematics, there should be a laboratory with a computer console two stories above us." Isaac said.

"Okay." Caleb said. "So we just take the ladder and go up two doors."

"You have a better way?" Olivia asked. Caleb said nothing.

The two then made their way back to the elevator shaft and carefully climbed up the rungs until they reached another door two stories up. Isaac messed around with the wires causing the door to open. They looked inside to see a small laboratory with a computer console and holographic map in the center.

"What is this?" Caleb asked.

"This is Lyoko." Olivia said. "This is what my boyfriend has been blabbing about since he first came to me and told me about Scipio 2.0."

"Looks like he has some big plans if he plans to use this as part of it." Isaac said.

"So what do we do now?" Caleb asked.

"I'll take the computer and see what I can find on there." Olivia said. "As for you, you get to the scanners and I'll send you in."

"Wait, slow down." Caleb said. "What's this about scanners?"

"Your ancestors would go inside the supercomputer through a virtualization process and defeat hoards of monster and their leader, XANA." Olivia said. "See that opening on the floor? That leads directly to the scanners needed to send you in. I'll set up the process from up here."

"Um, okay." Caleb said. "What have we to lose?"

Caleb and Isaac took the opening down and found themselves in a large room with three large cylinders in the center. The sides of the cylinders opened up revealing them to be hollow.

"I'm guessing these are the scanners." Caleb said. "I guess we just walk inside."

The two walked inside of one scanner each and saw the doors close once they got inside.

"Transfer Caleb. Transfer Isaac." Olivia said.

"Scanner Caleb. Scanner Isaac."

"Virtualization."

* * *

The next thing they knew, they found themselves in a large mountainous area. They then turned and faced each other.

"When did we get into our costumes?" Caleb asked noticing Isaac's surgical mask and his own cape.

"Nevermind that." Isaac asked. "What are those?"

Caleb turned and saw what caught Caleb's eye: Six large, red roach-like creatures, four blue, block-like creatures and one large black crab-like creature.

"What have you found Isaac?" Olivia asked.

"No idea." Isaac answered. "Some weird monster things."

"No." Olivia said. "It can't be."

Just then, one of the block creatures began talking.

"Identify yourself, life form." It said.

"Umm… Isaac Della Robbia." Isaac said.

"Caleb Stern."

"Stand by for immediate termination." The block monster then charged a laser. Before it could fire, however, Caleb pulled out a knife and threw it at the eye-like symbol on the creature's body, destroying it.

"Even as a virtual avatar, I still have lightning fast reflexes." Caleb said. "Come on, let's destroy the rest of these."

Isaac then drew his weapon, a staff not unlike its Earth counterpart, and charged toward the remaining monsters. Caleb threw knives in every direction, destroying every roach-like monster while Isaac knocked the Block monsters back and stabbed them with the hidden blade.

"Do these monsters have names?" Caleb asked.

"According to the bestiary I read, the roach like monsters are Kankrelats and the block monsters are Bloks."

"Typical." Caleb said destroying the last Blok. "And I suppose that would be…"

"Yep." Isaac said knowing that Caleb was referring to the black, crab monster. "A Krabe."

That same exact monster then charged a laser and shot Caleb in the back.

"Careful, you only got fifty life points left." Olivia said.

"What happens when I reach zero?" Caleb asked.

"You get sent back to Earth."

"But you can send us back right after, right?" Isaac asked.

"Actually no." Olivia asked. "And don't ask why, I have no idea."

"Alright, stand back." Caleb said. The Krabe began to charge its laser, but Caleb held a knife up, hoping to block it. Instead, the laser stopped in its tracks and a large nova of light came out from underneath Caleb and blasted the monster back and off the edge.

"How did you do that?" Isaac asked stunned.

"No idea." Caleb asked. "Alright, I've seen enough. Take us back."

"Wait, what's that?" Isaac asked.

Caleb then saw a figure out in the distance walking slowly towards them. When it got closer, they could make out the figure: Black hair combed upwards, a sleeveless uniform, boots with glowing green circuitry, and a large red scarf wrapped around his lower face. In his hands, he was wielding two slender swords as long as he was tall.

"Isn't that the heir-apparent?" Isaac asked.

"Unauthorized units in vicinity." The figure said. "Prepare for immediate devirtualization."

"Oh no." Olivia said.

"So it's a fight you want." Caleb said. "Well, you're getting it."

"Caleb, no. That's Zoltan!" Olivia shouted.

"Defender of the Internet?" Isaac asked.

"Whoever he is, he made the wrong choice challenging me." Caleb said as he charged towards the figure known as Zoltan. Zoltan just teleported away and appeared behind Caleb, slashing him in the back.

"Careful, forty life points left." Olivia said.

Caleb then charged, but Zoltan blocked with one sword and used the other to pole-vault himself in the air and land on Caleb. Isaac ran up to him, but got himself stabbed and devirtualized in the process. Caleb, noticing his opponent's distraction tried to push him off, but Zoltan quickly turned back around and slashed Caleb hard, taking away more life points. Zoltan attacked again, but Caleb blocked the attack and got back on his feet. Zoltan then jumped in the air and did a few flips before landing on top of Caleb again. Caleb raised his knife, but Zoltan knocked it away and slashed at Caleb again. He drew another, Zoltan knocked it away and slashed him. He drew another, knocked away and slashed.

"Ten life points left."

Exhausted, Caleb just lied down in defeat. Zoltan then took his sword and made one final blow, devirtualizing his opponent. Zoltan then walked away.

* * *

Back on Earth, Caleb walked out of the scanner and made his way up to the laboratory.

"What just happened?" Caleb asked.

"Looks like you finally met your match." Olivia said. "Zoltan was meant to eradicate the digital infrastructure of all foreign threats. His database is filled with 10,000 years worth of combat styles and contains knowledge of virus, Trojan and worm coding since the beginning of the digital age."

"So he's unstoppable." Isaac asked.

"I should know, I helped design him." Olivia said. "Well, just me and my boyfriend."

"And you chose to model him after the heir-apparent." Caleb said.

"My boyfriend chose to model him after himself, yes." Olivia said.

"Wait." Caleb realized. "Then that would mean…"

"Yep." She said. "My boyfriend is the heir-apparent, Will Dunbar V."

"Woah." Isaac said.

"Well, that's riveting and all, but what have you found about the Scipio thing?" Caleb asked.

"I only found two items in the drive." Olivia said. "One was a program called Appius."

"Go on."

"The other…Oh no…" She said as she took another look at the program name.

"XANA 2.0." Isaac said. "No. It can't be."

"It seems as though Will has darker intentions than we though." Caleb said. "We'll just remove the drive and destroy it."

"No can do." Olivia said. "The file somehow managed to make its way to Lyoko."

"So we'll shut off the computer." Isaac said.

"Of course." Olivia said. "It's not like he's found his way into the Internet."

They then went down to the supercomputer room. Caleb then made his way to the lever and tried to pull it, but was thrown back by a blast of lightning.

"What the…?" Caleb said confused.

Just then, Olivia heard her cell phone buzz. She pulled it out and read the text on the screen.

"_You thought you could get rid of me like that? _

_It seems you fail to realize that I'm twice the program my predecessor was._

_I may only be limited to this vessel alone, but I have enough power to make sure I stay alive inside it._

_And unlike my predecessor, I don't even need the memories of a naïve child."_

"What does he mean by that?" Caleb asked.

"I have no clue." Olivia said. She then continued to read.

"_Hunt me down if you can._

_-XANA 2.0. The most advanced program in the universe."_

"What do we do now?" Isaac asked.

"We fight." Caleb said.

"After what Zoltan did to you?" Olivia said. "Imagine going up against someone who can control the entire environment around you."

"I already have." Caleb said. "That someone is Will Dunbar IV. Now are you going to help me?"

"I'm in." Isaac said.

"I can stay and see if I can find more info we need." Olivia said.

"Won't you be missed?"

"I'll return to the city periodically so Will doesn't get suspicious." Olivia said. "I think I'll spend tonight here, though; get to know my surroundings more."

"You're welcome to stay with me." Caleb said.

"It shall be done."

The trio then left and made their way up.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of Lyoko, Zoltan was walking towards the center of the virtual world. The floor was made up of a series of concentric circles with a dense red fog in the center. He was met by another figure: A pale purple-skinned figure with white hair and covered in black scaled armor holding a double sided spear; he looked remarkably similar to Hannibal back in North Paris.

"Appius, Zoltan." A dark, menacing voice said through the fog. "At long last we stand united among the confines of my new sanctuary."

"As you intended, my master." The figure known as Appius said with a loud, hissing voice. "As we stand as one, the humans will fall before us."

"Kneel." The voice said. Both Zoltan and Appius knelt before their master. The fog then cleared revealing a shadowed figure with glowing red eyes and covered in head to toe with dull, grey armor sitting on a dark throne. "You've seen to forgotten the three humans who have discovered us and hold intentions to put an end to our plans for peace. It's up to us and to provide for our great creator and eradicate them so that we may go unopposed."

"The humans contain great power within the virtual environment." Appius said. "If they realize that, they could tap into that power and use it against us. To challenge them, XANA, would be a worthy feat."

XANA just smiled…

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	7. Mass Graves and a Wedding

After the failed attempt to shut off the supercomputer, the trio made their way back to the main floor of the factory. Caleb looked to the west and saw the sun setting.

"Dusk approaches." Caleb said.

"In that case, I'm heading off." Isaac said. "See you all soon."

"Shouldn't you be getting back to the city?" Caleb asked Olivia.

"Oh, I'm in no rush." Olivia said. "I was told to return with you in my captivity. For all they know, I have yet to find you. Plus, I do want to know more about your culture other than what the propagandists feed us."

"For a North Parisian, you certainly have great interest in our culture." Caleb said.

"Why do you think I visit your city so often?"

"Doesn't your fiancé notice you're gone?" Caleb asked.

"Will?" Olivia asked. "He's too busy fucking our women soldiers and preparing for his father's arrival in two days. I doubt he's even noticed I left."

"Wait." Caleb said. "The first part..."

"You heard me right." Olivia said. "He even forces me to watch."

"Some fiancé." Caleb said. "And you just stand there and take it?"

"What choice do I have?" Olivia asked. "I am a woman."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"There's only two jobs for women in this city: Whore and soldier." Olivia said. "I'm only an exception because of who I'm engaged to. Even though we're engaged, he still treats me like one of his whores."

"And you still love him?"

"I never loved him. My father's forcing me to marry him."

"Ah." Caleb said. "An arranged marriage. A parent's last resort to keep their child under chains."

"Agreed." Olivia said. "Hey, I gotta pee. Where's your bathroom?"

"What bathroom?" Caleb asked.

"What do you mean 'what bathroom'?" Olivia asked.

"This factory's over 200 years old, there's no indoor plumbing let alone a working bathroom." Caleb said. "So you have two choices: The river or the floor."

"That's just indecent!" Olivia said shocked. "I'm not stooping that low."

"In that case, you can just piss yourself right here."

Olivia just walked away.

"If you look for so much as a second, I'll make sure to beat the living shit out of you."

She then found a large pile of rubble and walked behind it. Making sure nobody was around, she pulled down her skirt and underwear and squatted down. As she was peeing, she noticed a large hole in the ground with a makeshift stairwell.

"Hey Caleb! What's that hole in the ground?" She shouted. Caleb walked over to her.

"This one?" He asked.

"AHH!" She shouted. "I told you not to look! I'm not done yet!"

"You're the one who called me over." Caleb said. "So what did you want?"

"Just a second." Olivia said. She then finished her business, wiped herself and pulled up her garments. "Anyways, I was going to ask about that big hole in the ground."

"You wanna see The Killing Floors?" Caleb said smiling. Olivia just nodded slowly with an unsure look on her face.

Caleb then took her down the stairs and turned on the lights. Olivia could only stand there motionless as she made out what was in the dimly lit room: The walls were covered in blood and dead bodies and the floor consisted of hundreds of bloodied corpses sewn together. She then looked up and saw bodies from the waist up hung up by meat hooks through their heads, human skins stretched across the ceiling and decapitated heads hanging on strands of barbed wire like pearls on a necklace.

"So what do you think?" Caleb asked. "I take the bodies of my victims from both sides of Paris and place them all down here as rat feed."

"But why?" Olivia asked.

"Dunno." Caleb said. "There's just something arousing about having mutilated corpses of the people you despise hung as trophies."

"Interesting..." Olivia said. She then looked down and saw a rat hiss at her. She jumped back a bit startled as the rat ran past her. "Is there any place I could stay the night?"

"Why not the factory?" Caleb asked.

"I appreciate your hospitality, but I feel like I should be some place a bit more…umm, homely."

"Understood." Caleb said. "The bar that Sharpshooter tried to mug you in? That's also an inn. Lucky can probably set you up."

"I thank you." Olivia said. "And I'll tell Will and the others that my stay may be a bit longer than I thought."

"You go do that." Caleb said.

* * *

A few minutes later in North Paris, Will Dunbar and his family were in the Zanbato Industries tower while the former was talking on his phone after receiving a call from a very close friend.

"Alright then." Will said. "And don't forget: I want him alive. Love you too."

Will then hung up.

"Who was that?" His brother Theo asked.

"Olivia." He said.

"Did she catch that thief yet?" Jonah asked.

"Patience, my brother." Will said. "My fiancée has only been out for less than a day. He could be anywhere."

"Maybe you could actually do more than send some wench to do your bidding." Hannibal said. "Don't you have those lobotomized robots at your disposal?"

"And risk an invasion?" Will asked. "I think you underestimate their strength."

"They're South Parisians!" Hannibal exclaimed. "Next to you, they're the stupidest and laziest animals on the planet. They're nothing but a bunch of unorganized savages praying for a lost cause."

"Anyways, you two!" Theo said. "I've been meaning to tell you something."

"Yes?" Jonah asked.

"Remember how Dad always said that one day we would each fall in love and find a women of our own?"

"Yes." Will said.

"Well, I talked to Carolyn and…"

"You mean…?" Jonah asked.

"She said 'yes'." Theo said smiling.

"Really?" Hannibal asked. "Theo, this is great. When's the wedding?"

"She want's it done tomorrow." Theo said.

"She doesn't want to wait until Dad comes back?" Will asked.

"Will, who gave you permission to speak?" Hannibal asked.

"I don't understand, though." Jonah asked. "How come we're hearing about this Carolyn person only now."

"You know Carolyn." Hannibal said.

"Remember Carrie, you old babysitter?" Theo asked. "That's her."

"You mean Carrie? The greatest babysitter ever?" Jonah asked. "That's her?"

"Mhmm." Theo said.

"I knew you had a crush on her when you were ten, but I didn't think she'd actually return the feeling." Will said.

"Will you shut up?" Theo asked.

"We can hold the wedding at Will's gardens at his palace." Hannibal said. "I'll make preparations and let the press know."

"Uncle, please." Theo said. "I want this to be a private event. No cameras, no news, no hype. Just a man, the woman he loves, their families and their close friends."

"I can respect that." Hannibal said.

"Thank you, Uncle."

"I shall return to the palace and start the preparations." Hannibal said. He then turned to two female soldiers carrying submachine guns. "Come with me."

He then walked off with the soldiers by his side.

"Jonah, prepare the _Artemis_." Will said.

"Where are you going?" Theo asked.

"City patrol." Will said. "After that incident, the people know we're vulnerable. I refuse to inherit a city nation knowing that I'll be seen as vulnerable."

"I see." Theo said.

Will and Jonah then headed off while Theo made his way in the other direction.

* * *

I do apologize for my lack of updates. The thing is I just started college and I'm going to be pretty busy with that and other stuff. I'll try to update at least once a week, but no more. So do bear with me.

Please Review.


	8. XANA's Lair

The next morning, Olivia had woken up from her sleep. She had spent the night at the inn near Lucky's bar upon Caleb's request. Wanting to meet up with Caleb again, she got out of bed, got dressed and made her way downstairs.

"Have a nice sleep, fair lass?" Lucky said as she passed the counter of the bar.

"Yes thank you." Olivia said. She then pulled out a wad of bills. "This should cover it."

"Oh no, I couldn't take your money." He said. "I never use it anyway."

"Oh, I insist." Olivia said. "I owe you for…"

"You owe me nothing." Lucky said. "Everyone deserves free hospitality. There's plenty to go around."

"Yes but…"

"Listen carefully." He said in a no-nonsense tone. "You don't know me so I'll make it clear: I'm a nice, modest guy. I don't take charity. I would rather kill my best friend's daughter than accept an unneeded gift. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." He said returning to his jolly demeanor. "You have a nice day."

"You too." Olivia said as she walked out the door and out of the underpass.

"Well that was weird." She said to herself.

She then walked down the long road until she reached the factory. Upon reaching the factory, she came across Caleb getting dressed. Hoping not to get caught, she hid behind one of the walls as she waited until he was decent enough to approach him.

"You don't have to hide you know." Caleb said.

"You knew I was watching?" Olivia asked.

"You don't give me a lot of fucking credit, do you?" Caleb asked.

"Well, you didn't say anything." Olivia said.

"I felt it was only fair." Caleb said. "I watched you take a piss, albeit accidentally, so you get to watch _my_ show."

"I guess…"

"Hey, Prince Caleb!" Olivia heard a voice shout. The same kid from earlier ran up to Caleb.

"Ah, messenger boy." Caleb said. "What brings you here?"

"I bring news from the eastern neighborhood." He said. "Theo Dunbar, son of Will IV, is getting married today."

"Is that right?" Olivia asked.

"I'll give you an A for effort, but crashing weddings isn't really our thing." Caleb said. "Besides, Theo's too low on my list to be bothered with."

"Well, Isaac is also on his way." The messenger boy said. "And Redmond and Danny aren't with him."

"Glad to see they're out of the way." Caleb said. "Alright, I guess I can give you something."

Caleb then pulled out a few strands of metal, with a few teeth hanging off, and a pack of cigarettes.

"I know how much you like making metal figurines, so I ripped off this aristocrat bitch's braces and kept them." Caleb said.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"Well, thanks." The messenger boy said as he ran off. Just then Isaac came up.

"Hey guys." He said.

"Isaac, perfect timing." Caleb said. "Now that we're all here, let's get started."

"Started with what?" Olivia asked.

"We're going back."

"Back where?" Isaac said.

"Lyoko." Caleb said. "Our mission isn't done yet."

"Oh no, you count me out!" Isaac said. "You remember what happened last time."

"I'm not resting until I find out why XANA was brought back and what the government plans to use with him." Caleb said. "And if you know what's best for me, you'll come and serve me."

"I guess I have no choice." Isaac said.

"I'll meet you downstairs and get the computer set up." Olivia said.

"Right then." Caleb and Isaac said.

* * *

Within a few minutes, the three of them made their way down to the lab and scanners. As Olivia was setting up the virtualization, XANA was watching them from his lair in the center of Lyoko.

"I admire your tenacity, humans. But don't think I won't go down without a fight." He said. He then turned to Appius.

"Tell Zoltan to find them and bring them to me." He said. "I want them to see what exactly they plan on dealing with."

"Yes, my liege." Appius said.

Meanwhile, Caleb and Isaac appeared in what looked like the charred ruins of a forest. The two just carefully walked around, expecting a trap.

"This place reeks of XANA." Caleb said drawing a knife. "Keep vigilant. We don't know what to expect."

"Hey, what's that?" Isaac asked. Caleb looked where Isaac was pointing and saw a familiar face.

"Zoltan!" Caleb shouted. "Come back for another round?"

Zoltan just stood there.

"Scared stiff, I see." Caleb then charged towards him but found his target sliding further and further away, even though he hadn't moved an inch. Immediately after, he disappeared.

"What the…?" Caleb said.

Just then, coming out of the ground, was a large jellyfish-like creature. It had red tentacles and a green mantle. Isaac ran up to Caleb and tried to fight it off, but the monster captured both of them. As its tentacles wrapped around them, they were both dissolved and absorbed into the monster's body. The monster than flew off to it's master's lair.

"Guys, are you there?" Olivia shouted. "Can you hear me?"

No response.

"I got to find them…" She said to herself as she ran off.

* * *

Meanwhile, the jellyfish monster made it's way to the edge of XANA's lair. Placing its tentacles out, it released Caleb and Isaac as they were reassembled onto the platform. As they regained their composure, they looked around and found themselves in a near pitch-black area, the only light coming from a faint red glow in the fog around them. In front of them was a narrow bridge standing over a deep abyss. They then turned turned and saw Zoltan standing next to them. Caleb drew a knife but Isaac placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Let's not go overboard like last time." Isaac said. "After all he hasn't attacked us yet."

Zoltan just nodded as he walked off. The other two just walked by him and followed him. After a few minutes, Zoltan froze in place. He held his sword out blocking Caleb and Isaac.

"I think he wants us to stop." Isaac said.

"You think?" Caleb asked.

Zoltan then got down on one knee and bowed his head. Just then, two figured emerged through the fog from the opposite side: One with red eyes and grey armor, XANA, the other with pale skin and black, spiky armor, Appius.

"Hannibal?" Caleb asked.

"I see you met our good friend Zoltan." XANA said. "Appius, lead him to my chamber. I'll deal with these two."

"Yes, my liege." Appius said as he and Zoltan walked off.

"Who are you?" Isaac asked.

"XANA just took off his helmet as the rest of his armor faded away, revealing his true form: A black haired figure with brown eyes and dressed in elaborate, white robes.

"William Dunbar III?" Caleb asked.

"Not quite." XANA said. "Just modeled after his appearance."

"XANA." Caleb realized.

"Right you are." He said. "You must be who they call Caleb Stern. I heard about your stealing of my home from my old mainframe and I'm quite impressed."

"Okay…" Isaac said.

"But now you led me to something even more powerful than my old domain." XANA said.

"What do you want?" Caleb asked.

"It's not what I want, it's what my creator wants." XANA said.

"Your creator?" Isaac asked.

"Will Dunbar V." XANA said. "The soon to be ruler of all of North Paris and the entire world."

"Fine, what does Will want?" Caleb asked.

"Why would I tell you?" XANA said. "So you can jeopardize our plans and save your lost city? You're more powerful than you think, I can't afford to keep you alive."

Just then, a set of dark figures appeared and grabbed Caleb and Isaac from behind.

"My master is looking quite forward to your executions, humans."

"You let me go!" Caleb said struggling to break free.

"Now let's not wear ourselves out, shall we?" XANA said drawing a large, grey sword and aiming it by his victims' necks.

"Let…me…GO!" Caleb shouted as he released a huge blast of energy, knocking back his captors.

"Let's go." Isaac said as they ran off.

"Seize them!" XANA shouted.

As Caleb and Isaac ran, many monsters crawled from the abyss below and began following them.

"Why are we even running?" Caleb said. He then turned around, drew two knives and charged towards the monsters.

Caleb took out a few, but the monsters were just as relentless and attacked their foe with all their might. With Caleb surrounded and outnumbered, he could only stand as a Krabe began charging its laser. Before it could fire, however, it was blasted into bits. Standing in its place was a young woman with her long black hair in a ponytail, dressed in only light armor that covered her breasts and lower region and carrying a long javelin.

"Olivia?" Isaac said.

"Let's hurry." Olivia said. "I enchanted them so that they're stunned, but it won't last long."

The three then ran off.

"I must say you look divine." Caleb said.

"Hey, I didn't choose this!" Olivia said.

"No, I mean it." Caleb said.

"So how do we get out of here?" Isaac said.

"I set up a timed devirtualization." Olivia said. "It should happen…"

Just then the three disappeared and returned to the scanners.

"…now."

"Well, that was exhilarating." Isaac said.

"So what did you find out?" Olivia said.

"Will V created XANA and modeled him after the Eternal Patriarch." Caleb said. "We don't know what he's planning or how and why, but we do know that it's going to be on a global scale."

"But why would XANA want world dominance when North Paris is the only place on the planet that isn't ruins?"

"I don't know and I don't like it." Caleb said. "Suffice to say, as long as Zoltan remains within Lyoko, this battle will be next to impossible."

"I do know that Zoltan's files remain on Will's wrist computer." Olivia said. "If I can get to it, I can reconfigure the files and change his programming so that he recognizes XANA as the only threat."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Isaac asked.

"Same way you two broke in and stole the Scipio drive." Olivia said. "The only difference is that I'm his fiancée, so he'd never suspect me."

"That's actually crazy enough to work." Caleb said. "When should you do this?"

"In a matter of days, North Paris is holding its annual victory parade, to celebrate the destruction of West Europe." Olivia said. "During that time, Will leaves his technology behind at Zanbato Industries so that nobody suspects if he's plotting anything.

"Right, because everybody hates him." Isaac said.

"Precisely." Olivia said. "With the computer at the Zanbato Industries tower, I'll be able to sneak in and reconfigure the files from within."

"Sounds like a plan." Caleb said.

"I'm gonna head back to the inn." Olivia said. "We'll talk more later."

With that, the three headed their separate ways and began planning for the next motion to carry.

* * *

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	9. Wedding Day

Meanwhile, at the northern edge of the city, a car pulled up in front of a large, ornate gate. Stepping out of the car were four women who walked over to the gate. On the side, there was a button with a screen next to it; below it was an inscription that read:

**DUNBAR ESTATE**

**IF YOU HAVE BUSINESS, PLEASE USE BUZZER**

After ringing the buzzer, an image of a much older man appeared on the screen.

"Can I help you?" He said.

"We're here for the wedding." The first woman said. "I'm Theo's fiancée, Carolyn."

"Just a moment."

A loud buzzing noise went off followed by the gate opening. The four women then made their way up the cobblestone path until they came across the door of a large mansion. Carolyn knocked on the door twice. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal the immense foyer of the house: A long, carpeted area leading to an immense stairway that stopped midway and split off into two separate stairways. Along the walls were pictures of the entire Dunbar family that went back for generations. At the end of the room up the stairs was a larger than life painting of the Eternal Patriarch himself: William Dunbar III.

Just then, the man from before came up to them.

"Ah, Miss Garrett, so nice of you to come. I'm Alan, Master Dunbar's head butler." He said. "Who are these fine ladies?"

"My bridesmaids, Sir." Carolyn said. "So where are the others?"

"Master Theo and Master Ethan are out in the gardens preparing for the ceremony." Alan said. "As I recall, you both decided on not seeing each other before the ceremony."

"That's right."

"Will and Master Jonah are out in the hunting grounds looking for the wedding dinner."

"Surely Theo told them I'm a vegetarian." Carolyn said.

"Oh, but they aren't." Alan said smiling. "In the meantime, may I show you around?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the woods outside the mansion, an elk was passing by about to take a drink at a nearby stream. As it bent its head down to lick up the stream, a loud bang went off scaring away the rest of the fauna, while the elk collapsed bleeding from the head.

"Way to go, Johah!" Will shouted to his brother, who was sitting on a tree holding a pistol. "We're feasting tonight!"

"Still 100% accuracy." Jonah said climbing down. "Now help me carry this carcass to the kitchen, Carrie should be here soon."

"And by help you, you mean I do all the labor while you just walk behind and boss me around."

"Right." Jonah said. "Now get to work."

At the gardens, Theo and Hannibal were inside a large tent getting prepared. Theo was standing in front of a mirror adjusting the bowtie on his tuxedo. He then turned to face his uncle.

"How do I look?" Theo asked.

"It's missing something." Hannibal said. "I know. You should lose the sunglasses."

"But, Uncle." Theo said. "What about my pigments?"

"Theo, this woman has known you for a long time." Hannibal said placing his hands on his nephew's shoulders. "You should know by now that she would never judge you by what your eyes look like. She loves you for who you are, that's why she's marrying you."

"You're right." Theo said taking off his sunglasses and hugging him. "Thanks, Uncle."

"I'm so proud of you." Hannibal said smiling. "If only your mother were alive this day, she would've been so happy."

Just then, one of his aides came up and whispered in his ear.

"I see." He said. "Theo, I have some business to take care of. If I'm not back in time, I apologize in advance."

"I understand." Theo said. "With Father away, someone has to take care of things."

* * *

When Will and Jonah came back, will made his way to the kitchen with the elk carcass.

"Yeah, you take care of that." Jonah said. "I'm going to try to find Carrie."

Jonah then made his way up the stairs and knocked on one of the doors. The maid of honor then opened up the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm looking for Carolyn." Jonah said. "Tell her Jonah's wants to see her."

"Carrie!" She shouted. "Some kid named Jonah wants to see you!"

"Little Jonah?" Carolyn shouted. "Where is he?"

She then ran out to the doorway and couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hey, Carrie." Jonah said.

"Oh my goodness!" She said hugging him. "Look at you, you've gotten so big!"

"You know this kid?" The bridesmaid asked.

"Yeah, I used to babysit him when he was little."

"Show them our old rhyme." Jonah said.

"Let's see if I remember…" Carolyn said. "One, two, three, four, five. I once caught a fish alive."

"Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Then I threw him back again." Jonah said.

"Why did you let him go? Because he bit my finger so." They said in unison. "Which finger did he bite? The little finger on my right."

Both of them laughed once they finished.

"Cute." The maid of honor said.

"Well, I better get ready." Carolyn said. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

"See you there."

* * *

After everything was set up, Theo was standing by the altar in the gardens. He faced the audience and saw that Hannibal was nowhere to be found while Will was sitting in the back row. Jonah, his best man, was standing by his side making sure they both looked their best. Theo then turned to the bride side and saw Carolyn's parents shedding tears of joy; Theo just smiled at them.

Immediately, the conductor tapped his baton on his music stand and queued the orchestra to play the bridal march. Carolyn then walked down the aisle with a flower girl in front of her throwing pedals on the grass. She then made her way up to the altar and faced her soon-to-be husband. The music then stopped.

"Dearly beloved." The pastor said. "We are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony. If any of you have any reason why these two should not wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Nobody spoke up.

"The rings please." The pastor said as the ring bearer brought them their rings.

"Do you, Theodore Dunbar, take Carolyn Garrett to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do." Theo said placing a ring on Carolyn's finger.

"Do you, Carolyn Garrett, take Theodore Dunbar to be your husband, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do." Carolyn said.

"By the power vested in my be the Eternal Patriarch and the city of North Paris, I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Dunbar, husband and wife." The pastor said. "You may kiss."

Theo then lifted up Carolyn's veil and the two shared a passionate kiss as the guests stood up and applauded. The two newlyweds then walked down the aisle as the guests threw rice at them. Carolyn threw her bouquet to the side as the bridesmaids scrambled for it. The couple then made their way to Theo's car and drove off, ready to spend their first day as a new couple.

* * *

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	10. Caleb's Origins

Back in the mansion, Hannibal was in one of his brother's private studies conversing with a despondent look on his bruised face, puncture wounds in both of his hands and legless and bound to a wheelchair.

"I believed in this fair city." The man said. "This city made me who I am: A proud aristocrat married to one of the finest women a man could ask for. We lived in solitude, away from the retched filth whom I nailed to our forests with our city's pride. When the word got out somehow, we were attacked. Some hooligans came into our house, destroyed everything we had and robbed me of my legs. But even that pales in comparison to what they did after: What happened after, they came after my wife. They stripped her down and raped her while I was made to watched; they even cut my eyelids off in case I tried to blink."

The man felt himself begin to cry.

"She was a virgin; we lived our lives in chastity. And now, because of the circumstances, she had no choice but to do herself in. I went to the police, but they were of no use. They said they couldn't step out of the boundaries; they could only intervene if the hooligans came back. It was then I knew I had to turn to you, Monsieur Hannibal."

"You went to the police knowing I could've been of better assistance?" Hannibal asked.

"All I want is one thing, sir: Retribution."

"Mr. Dupre." Hannibal said. "You and my brother have been accomplices for years. You've done no wrong to this city and served her as you served your leader and Eternal Patriarch. But now you come to me on the day of my nephew's wedding, and not address me as your lord, asking me to commit murder. As much as I'd love to murder those rats, I'm not my brother and thus there is nothing I can do."

"Please, my lord." Dupre begged in tears. "All I want is vengeance for my poor wife. I'll do anything for you, you name it. Is it money? Servitude? I'll do anything to avenge my poor wife."

Just then, Will came through the door.

"Mr. Dupre, if I may…"

"No you may not." Hannibal said.

"…I'd be willing to help you." Will said. "You see, not long ago, something precious of mind was stolen. I can only guess that these hooligans are the same slumrats that broke into Zanbato Industries that previous night."

"So what do you propose to do?" Hannibal asked.

"We still have those prisoners in the _Artemis_." Will said. "Tomorrow, we can give them a little treat. Coax our common nemesis out of hiding by killing his kind each day he doesn't comply."

"Will, you can't authorize a public execution without a vote from the inner circle." Hannibal said. "And as part of the inner circle, I vote no."

"I can't authorize a public execution _with the national army_." Will said.

"Where are you going with this?" Hannibal asked.

"The circle has no authority over the actions of the Grand Army." Will said. "Since it's my project, I have full control."

"You bastard…" Hannibal said.

"As for you, Mr. Dupre, you will be given a special task once the rat comes to us."

"Yes, anything." Dupre said.

"Once he comes, I'll brief you with further info." Will said. "Revenge will soon be yours."

"Thank you, sir." Dupre said kissing his hand. "Thank you and may the Eternal Patriarch bless you."

"We start at dawn." Will said. "I want to finish early and quickly before Father's arrival."

Will and Dupre then walked out (wheeled out in Dupre's case) while Hannibal just sat there dumbfounded.

* * *

Back in South Paris, Olivia was rummaging through Caleb's belongings in the factory while Caleb and the rest of his gang were out doing their heinous deeds. The first things she noticed were piles of spoiled books with many pages torn out in each one. They were all written by the same author, Stephen King. She looked closely at the covers and could make out some of the titles: _The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon_, _Cujo_, _Rose Madder_ and others.

After setting the books down, she noticed a large box in the corner. She went over and opened the box to find a series of news clippings attached to sheets of paper. The clippings detailed events that happened around the world over the past century. The earliest clippings talked about environmental activists who overthrew the American government and launched a series of reforms involving nuclear power, which ended up killing hundreds of millions due to groundwater irradiation and Will III's economic policies that saved France at the cost of human rights.

Later clippings talked about oil sanctions on Europe and America and an event known as the Sun War, which killed half of America and Asia, an unchecked flu pandemic and a widespread American evacuation to Siberia. The last clippings talked about France's downward spiral after the Dunbar regime established a totalitarian rule, how Will III's successor led an invasion across Europe and killed everyone outside of France and later outside of Paris after the rest of France seceded from the capital.

"Amazing isn't it?" Olivia turned to find Caleb standing beside her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snoop." Olivia said. "It's just…"

"Don't sweat it." Caleb said. "You're curious, I understand."

"All the atrocities Will III brought upon." She said. "Are they true?"

"Unfortunately so." Caleb said. "Maybe not the Sun War, but everything he did in France."

"But he was a hero." Olivia said. "He saved France from collapse."

"He killed millions of innocent civilians at the start of his rule." Caleb said. "And for what? To put this country on life support instead of letting it die in peace; it's amazing what these animals will do for financial stability."

"But that's not a bad thing, really." Olivia said.

"The well being of a population outweighs the financial conditions of their home!" Caleb shouted. "America and the rest of the industrialized world got along just fucking fine 200 years ago in their worst economic crisis. And the one country that was completely unaffected by the crisis was so because of economic reforms that wiped out most of its people."

"I see." Olivia said. "And is this what you fight for?"

"Partially." Caleb said. "It's mostly for a personal reason."

"Do tell." Olivia said.

"The regime killed my parents." Caleb said.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"Four years ago, when The Wall was first built, the regime had my parents killed on the streets at part of the purges."

"But the regime has never set foot in the south when The Wall was built, unless…" Olivia then realized. "No…"

"That's right." Caleb said. "I'm a native North Parisian."

* * *

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	11. The Grand Leader

Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"All this time, you were born in the North." Olivia said.

Caleb nodded.

"I was like you once." Caleb said. "Naïve and completely trusting of the regime. Of course, we were well off that we could avoid the purging, or so they told me."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.

"Let me explain."

_Flashback_

_On the streets of Paris, a young couple was standing by the Seine River watching the erection of a large wall cutting along the river. With them was a young child in his early teens with short, combed black hair, who was also watching the construction._

"_What are they doing?" The child asked._

"_This wall is meant to separate the poor people from people like us, Caleb dear." The woman said._

"_That's right." The man said. "The poorer half of the population have been deported to the new south region of the city while we remain in the north. This wall will keep them from escaping and revolting."_

"_Those who are found to have escaped deportation will be subject to purging." The woman said._

"_When does the purging begin?" Caleb asked._

"_Looks like now." The man said._

_The three then tuned to see a crowd of screaming people running down the road, being pursued by a sleek, black limo. Gunshots were fired as most of the people fell to the ground dead._

"_Caleb dear, get down." The woman said. "You don't want to get hurt."_

"_But I wanna watch."_

"_Caleb, listen to your mothe-" The man said before a bullet tore through his head and he fell to the ground dead._

"_Dad!" Caleb shouted._

"_Rupert, no!" The woman shouted running up to him until she herself felt a bullet pass through her chest, which was the last thing she felt before falling to the ground dead._

"_NO!" Caleb shouted as he ran over to his parents and tried to get a response out of them, but to no avail. Caleb just sat down crying as more bystanders ran off screaming._

_End Flashback._

"Oh my God." Olivia said shocked.

"I defected to the city in the south and made myself its leader through gang wars." Caleb said. "Met a new friend, two former bodyguards of Will IV and started a new street gang and began to assert my authority. Since the incident, I lost faith in not only the regime, but also humanity."

"Because of your parents' deaths?" Olivia asked.

"Because of the lies we've been fed since the beginning." Caleb said. "Because of humanity's desire to put it own pride and the pride of their home over the lives of the innocent."

"Like you don't do that?" Olivia asked. "You're the one torturing and killing as means of satisfying your own goals."

"At least I'm honest about it." Caleb said. Olivia said nothing as Caleb headed to bed. "You should get back to the inn before it gets dark."

"Okay." Olivia said as she left the factory and made her way back to the inn.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia woke up and made her way to find Caleb at the factory. When she arrived, she saw Caleb crouched down behind The Wall.

"Caleb, what are you…?"

"Shh." Caleb said.

"But I don't."

"Get down!" Caleb whispered. Olivia said nothing and just did as she was told.

On top of The Wall, a group of five men were lined up alongside each other, blindfolded and their hands tied behind their back. Approaching them were Will and Hannibal each accompanied by two Grand Army soldiers.

"Read the charges, Admiral." Will ordered. A bearded man in a highly decorated military uniform walked up and read off an open scroll in his hands.

"Prisoners of North Paris." He shouted. "You are charged with numerous counts of treason, disrespect to your Grand Leader and Eternal Patriarch and other blasphemous activity that is nothing short of unspeakable."

The prisoners just sat there whimpering.

"Your punishment will be determined by a quick examination by the Grand Army of North Paris." The admiral said. "You may proceed, Will."

"Do your thing, men."

One Grand Army soldier then walked around and examined each prisoner.

"Execute."

He walked to the next one.

"Execute."

The next.

"Execute."

The next.

"Execute."

The last.

"Reformat."

"No. 5." Will said. "Please step up."

"No, please." He said. "Anything but that."

"Get up, rat!" The admiral said picking him up.

"Please, not reformatting!" The prisoner said. "Kill me now. Do whatever. Just don't format!"

The admiral just walked away with the prisoner in hand as the rest just watched.

"Ready at my command!" Will shouted. The other three soldiers then drew their weapons and Hannibal raised his cane and held it like a rifle.

"And what pray tell do you plan to do with that?" Will chuckled.

Hannibal then fired a quick beam of energy that plowed through his target and blew him up. Will's eyes just widened.

"You aren't the only one with personal projects, William." Hannibal said.

Will said nothing and just turned back.

"The rest of you fire at will!" Will ordered.

"If only…" Hannibal muttered.

The three soldiers then fired their weapons, killing the prisoners and blasting them into the river below.

"What was that?" Olivia asked looking at the bodies.

"Looks like a public execution." Caleb said. "They used to occur all the time when Will IV wasn't sick."

"Will IV did no such thing." Olivia said. "I would've heard about it. The rest of the city would've."

"You could write a novel with all the things this city doesn't know about its regime." Caleb said. "You're a lot less informed than you think you are, even for the heir-apparent's fiancée."

"You really think that?" Olivia asked.

"I know that." Caleb said.

"Anyway, what did they mean by 'reformatting'?" Olivia asked.

"You don't want to know." Caleb said. "Anyways, you should head back. The Grand Leader returns to the city today."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked. "Because I can stay a bit longer."

"If Will finds out you didn't show up for his father's arrival, he'll get suspicious." Caleb said. "Go on, I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Olivia said.

* * *

In the center square of the city, right by the Zanbato Industries tower, a celebration was being held to celebrate the return of the leader of North Paris: William Dunbar IV. People were dancing in the streets, bands were playing and soldiers were guarding the entryway to the tower. Female soldiers were perched on rooftops as snipers, keeping a watch on the festivities from above.

"At arms!" Theo shouted as the soldiers held their rifles out.

Will and Jonah were standing with him waiting for their father to return before they would come down and join. Just then, Olivia ran up.

"Olivia." Will said. "You're three minutes late. What took you?"

"Had some business to take care of." Olivia said. "What matters is I'm here, right?"

"Of course." Will said. "After all, Father hasn't arrived yet."

"Oh, look at that." Jonah said pointing to a stretch limo slowly pulling up to the entryway. "We'd better get down there."

The three then made their way down as Hannibal walked down the walkway between two rows of soldiers, each on opposite ends of the path. Unlike the other soldiers, these soldiers were dressed in grey overcoats and military caps and wore sabers around their waists. Hannibal walked up to the limo and opened the door.

"Present!" Hannibal shouted. Immediately, the soldiers drew their sabers and held them up vertical and close to their face and immediately held them in the air in front of them at an angle.

Stepping out of the limo was an old balding man with white hairs dressed in an elegant tuxedo. He had pale skin that was covered from top to bottom with nasty purple lesions. Walking with a cane in one hand, he grabbed Hannibal's hand with his other hand as the latter helped him out.

"Will, my brother." Hannibal said hugging him. "Welcome back."

"Ah, Ethan, good to see you." Will said in a raspy voice. "I take it your interim term went well."

"Indeed, my brother."

"Father!" The younger Will, Theo and Jonah shouted as they walked up to their ailing father and kneeled before him.

"It's so good to see you again." Theo said. "How're you feeling?"

"I've been better, Theo." Will said. "But I'm glad to be able to spend my last days with you."

"Don't say that." Jonah said. "It breaks my heart knowing that you have such a negative outlook on your life."

"We all have to accept the fact sooner or later, Jonah." Will said. "No matter what happens though, I couldn't be more proud of what you and Theo have done."

"What about me?" The younger Will asked.

"Oh hey, other kid." The elder Will said dully. "Anyways, Theo, I heard about the wedding. Congratulations. I wish I could've been there."

"It's no big deal." Theo said.

"Excuse me, Sir." Olivia said. "I just want to say it's an honor to finally meet you."

"Olivia, please." Will V said. "Don't speak unless you're spoken to."

"Other kid!" Will IV scolded. "Shut up and let the young lady talk! Glad to meet you, madam. Mind if I ask for your name?"

"Olivia, sire." Olivia said. "I'm Will's fiancée."

"Oh." He said. "About time he did something right with his life."

"Brother, it's time to greet the admiral and chairman." Hannibal said.

"Very well." Will said as he and his brother walked away, but not before turning to his sons. "Make sure the Victory Day festivities will be prepared for the parade."

"Yes, Father." The three said in unison. When Will and Hannibal were away, Will V then walked up to one of the officers in the line.

"Can I help you, sir?" The officer said.

"You were two steps out of formation." Will said.

"My apologies, sir." He said. "I must've not noticed."

"My brother instructed you hour after hour, day after day making sure that you got your formation and everyone else's formations correct." Will said angrily. "You obviously don't care enough about your Grand Leader if you slacked off in memorizing basic formation."

"Sir please, I…" The officer said nervously.

"Now let me ask you this: Who would I rather blame for this, you or my brother?" Will asked.

"Well me, but that doesn't mean…"

"That is correct." Will said drawing out a large, ornate sword from his tuxedo jacket. "Your prize is a downgrade in your punishment; instead of being reformatted, you will be executed."

"No, sir!" He shouted. "You can't do this! I have a family waiting for me. You can't just…"

But that sentence was cut short. The last thing he felt was a swift slice to the neck as his head fell from his shoulders to the ground and his body fell, bleeding heavily from his neck.

Everyone just remained startled and slowly eased away.

"That will show them."

* * *

Will IV and Hannibal approached the front entrance where he met Mackie Jolivet and the admiral.

"Mr. Jolivet, Admiral Philippe." Will said greeting them.

"Welcome back, my liege." Mackie said.

"Good day, sir." Philippe said.

"I trust everything has gone smoothly since my absence."

"Well…" Mackie said. "We did run into a bit of trouble three days ago when Will tried…"

"Say no more. I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him."

"Sir, it wasn't his fault." Mackie said. "He…"

"Don't want to hear it." Will said. "At times like this, I wish you were my son and not what's his name."

"You always say that." Mackie said. "Even when he and I were both kids."

"Both of you return to your posts." Will said. "We still have Victory Day to prepare for."

"Yes, my liege." The two said as they headed off while Will walked inside the tower as the crowd cheered.

* * *

Please Review.


	12. The Massacre

In South Paris, Olivia was still trying to comprehend what exactly she had just witnessed. Never before had she known of the public executions her city has held and apparently is still holding.

"Now you know the truth." Caleb said.

"Mind telling me what just happened."

"Since Will IV came to power, he became increasingly paranoid and started holding executions of his public enemies." Caleb said. "At first it was just part of the Napoleonic Campaign that took place throughout Europe, but he felt that the citizens of his country were going to revolt against them, which eventually they did."

"Go on." Olivia said.

"The cities broke away from the rest of the country while Will IV ordered his Parisian Army to lay waste to the remaining cities." Caleb said. "With the army led by Admiral Lionel Philippe, the most ruthless commander of any nation's armed forces, the task was done with little difficulty. All remaining prisoners were brought into the city square and were to take part in executions directed by Philippe himself and Hannibal Dunbar while the citizens watched."

"Just one more question." Olivia said. "Again, what is reformatting?"

"Again, you don't want to know." Caleb said. "Danny told me and now I'm telling you that you don't want to know."

"Okay." Olivia said confused. "Just one more question: What will you do when the Grand Leader is dead?"

"Oh, I got myself some big plans for that." Caleb said with an evil grin. Olivia just walked away with a worried look on her face. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the inn." Olivia said. "This is all too much to take in."

"I understand." Caleb said. "You need respite; you have yet to be desensitized to the horrors of this city and its people."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Will's manor, the Grand Leader was sitting on his easy chair being interviewed by numerous members of the press. Everyone was talking all at once and it was too much for the frail man to comprehend.

"Grand Leader Dunbar. Will you be in good enough health to attend the Victory Day parade?"

"Grand Leader. What are your comments on the alleged Grand Army-led execution this morning?"

"Grand Leader. With the ongoing feud with your eldest son, do you hope to appoint a new successor?"

"I...I…can't…I…don't…" Will said struggling to speak.

"That's enough! All of you!" Theo said pushing back the reporters. "My father is not in good enough health to be answering questions."

"But Sir, if we could just get…"

But they couldn't finish; they had just been blown to pieces by Hannibal, who was now turning off his cane-railgun.

"Glad that's fucking over." Hannibal said as Theo, Will V and Jonah just stared at him wide-eyed with their mouths hanging out. "Come on, brother. Let's get you to your bedchamber."

"I…don't...I…can't…" Will said repeating the same stuff.

"Theo, is Dad going to die?" Jonah said about to cry.

"What, the pale skin and the cancer didn't throw you off?" Will asked.

"Will, shut the fuck up! You aren't helping!" Theo shouted. He then turned to Jonah. "Jonah, all I know is that whatever fate has in store for him, we just have to accept it."

"Okay." Jonah sniffled.

"You're strong, Jonah." Theo said hugging his younger sibling. "Don't ever let anything bring you down."

"Okay."

Theo then walked up to his older sibling and glared at him.

"Take a mental note." He said. "It'll help next time you decide to take out your insecurities on the rest of the family."

Theo walked away.

"Not my fault he hates me!" Will shouted back.

Later that evening, the whole family, minus Will IV, were sitting at the dinner table waiting for the family patriarch to arrive.

"What's keeping him?" Will asked,

"Will, hush!" Hannibal said. "You know you father and his constant obsession of making sure he's prepared. He's probably in the midst of quadruple-checking himself."

Just then, Alan the head butler came into the room.

"Sir, children, Miss Garrett." He said. "You might want to speak to the master right now."

Upstairs in Will's bedchamber, the rest of the family was huddled around the bed, where Will IV was lying in a near-frozen state.

"E…Ethan." He said his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm af…af…afraid my time has c…co…me."

"What?" Theo said. "Father, no."

"Theo." He said. "Make me proud, my son. Just as you always have."

"Jo...Jonah." He said. Jonah came over to him. "May Father smile upon you as you led our forces to victory, Admiral."

"Admiral?" Will asked.

"Did…Did you really th…think I…I was g…g…going t..to let Phili…ppe con…continue to run our f…forces at th…the way he's going? The forces are to be l…led by…by some…one y…y…young; someone like J…Jonah. My first act up…upon my death is to re…retire him."

"Father, let me just say I'm honored."

"Will…Will…"

"Yes?" Will said eagerly.

"You're the worst son any father could ask for and it should've been you instead of me."

He then took one last gasp and went limp. The doctor came and felt his heartbeat.

"He's dead." The doctor said.

Theo just broke down crying and hugged his wife who returned the hug. Hannibal closed his dead brother's eyelids and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, my brother." He whispered.

Will just went over and hugged his uncle, crying.

"Get off of me, you faggot!" Hannibal said pushing his nephew off. Hannibal, instead, went to comfort his younger nephew, Jonah, who was taking it worse than everyone else.

"Whatever." Will said. "At least nothing stands in my way between me and my goal."

"Is that all you care about?" Theo asked. "Him dying so you can be leader?"

"Believe me, that's not what I meant."

"So what do we do now?" Theo asked. "For Victory Day, I mean."

"The plans will not change." Will said. "We'll hold the parade after my inauguration on the same day. In the meantime, we have a funeral to prepare for."

* * *

The next morning, Olivia woke up from her bed at the inn getting ready for the day. She brushed her hair, got dressed, headed downstairs and headed out the door. As she was walking out of the underpass, she ran into Isaac.

"There you are." He said. "Come on!"

"What is it?"

"The regime's about to make an announcement." Isaac said. "Caleb told me to find you and meet him at the tower when I did."

"What tower?" Olivia asked.

"I'll lead you there, now let's go!" Isaac shouted dragging Olivia with him.

After a lengthy walk, the tower, as it turned out, was a tall, iron lattice tower that overlooked the rest of the city and even towered over The Wall. Olivia and Isaac made their way to the top and met Caleb.

"So what's going…?"

"Shh." Caleb said.

Just then, a fanfare was heard followed a voice over the loudspeakers in the northern city.

"Citizens of North Paris." The voice said. "Today I come with grim tidings. The regime, today, has announced the greatest tragedy that has bestowed our city since the death of our Eternal Patriarch: Last night, Grand Leader William Dunbar IV, son of Eternal Patriarch William Dunbar III, died in his bedchamber after succumbing to the disease that has plagued him for nearly four years. We as the inner circle are most saddened and distraught by this unfortunate turn of events. His funeral procession will be held tonight in Zanbato Square followed by the inauguration of the new leader tomorrow morning. That is all. Long Live The Regime."

"Will IV is dead?" Olivia said.

"Surprised aren't you?" Caleb said smiling.

"I don't understand." Isaac said. "How did you know that was going to be announced?"

"I have my sources." Caleb said. "Now to prepare for the funeral."

"What do you mean prepare?" Olivia asked.

"You'll see." Caleb said. "In the meantime, you should return to the city. Will's probably looking for you."

"Of course." Olivia said. "Anything to console him in the time he needs it most."

* * *

As the sun was setting, everyone was gathered around for the funeral procession of their former leader. Soldiers were slowly marching along the main road with their rifles on their shoulders followed by a band playing a somber tone. Behind them were a series of cars that spanned across the roads many lanes. In the center of the cars was a massive wooden platform with a glass sarcophagus in the center being carried by numerous soldiers. Inside was the body of the deceased leader, ready to be taken to his final resting place at his father's mausoleum. Standing on each side of the platform were Will V, Olivia, Theo and Jonah on one side and Hannibal, Mackie and Philippe on the other. Jonah glanced over at the former admiral and tried to say something, but Philippe just scowled at him and Jonah turned back around.

Everyone who was watching the procession could only cry and mourn the loss of their beloved leader (lest they be subject to public execution, of course). As they were crying, they didn't notice the figure that was sneaking around ready to carry out his plan. When he got to a safe place, he pulled out a communicator.

"Ready, Isaac?" He whispered.

"Prince Caleb, are you sure we should…?"

"Don't fucking argue with me!" The figure, Caleb, said. "Just do it!"

Isaac, who was back in South Paris, just did as he was told and pulled out a small remote-like device. Isaac then pressed one of the buttons.

Suddenly, a series of explosions went off along the sides of the road, no doubt injuring and killing many instantly. Everyone else just screamed and panicked as they ran off, scrambling in different directions. The cars surrounding the platform just sped away trying to get to safety. Will, Theo, Jonah, Hannibal, Philippe and Olivia were left in the confusing holding up the platform as Mackie jumped in one of the cars.

"Where are you going?" Will asked.

"Hey, I'm just a businessman; I didn't sign up for this." Mackie said. "Good luck you guys." The car then sped off.

"Coward." Theo said.

"Alright, show yourself!" One of the officers holding up the platform asked before he felt a sharp object pierce through his body as fast as a bullet.

"Take aim, men!" Jonah shouted as soldiers drew their riles and began shooting through the smoke left from the explosions, but in vain.

"Admiral, what do we do?" Jonah asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Philippe shouted. "You're the admiral now!"

Just then, Caleb jumped out from the smoke and landed on top of the former admiral.

"Caleb?" Olivia said.

"Please..." Philippe begged. "Anyone but me, I'm only a retired officer."

But Caleb said nothing as he snapped his victim neck, killing him in an instant.

"Kill him!" Will shouted. Caleb just pulled out another knife and ran across the one side of the platform, cutting deeply into the flesh of those holding it up, including Hannibal. With no support from that side, the platform collapsed and the sarcophagus fell out and broke.

"We have to get to hiding." Theo said as he and Will hid behind a large statue. "Jonah, come with us!"

Jonah just nodded as he ran over toward his brothers. Through the smoke, Caleb saw his next target, pulled out three knives with one hand and took aim. He then threw the knives toward the three brothers: One missed completely, the other grazed Will's left arm. Will just clutched his arm in pain and he ducked down.

"Are you okay, brother?" Theo asked.

"I'll be fine." Will said. "Hurry, Jonah!"

But Jonah was too late. At the moment he ran up to his brothers, the third knife hit its target. The knife pierced through him at lightning speed, leaving a huge, bloody wound.

"Jonah!" Theo shouted.

Jonah fell to the ground, but gut back up and staggered around. Just then another series of knives tore through his body as quick as a flash. Jonah just screamed in pain as he fell and tried to crawl away. But it was of no use, he has succumbed to his wounds and collapsed with one last breath. Theo just ran over and picked up his brother's body.

"Jonah, wake up!" He shouted. "Fuck, man, don't you give up on me! Stay with me!"

No response.

"Sure, pay attention to him!" Will shouted sarcastically. "His troubles are over, but in case you haven't noticed, my arm's bleeding like shit."

Theo didn't listen. He just held his brother's corpse and cried. He then looked up and saw Caleb in front of him holding a knife, but he put it away when he saw Theo's face.

"Don't worry." Caleb said. "You're worth nothing to me."

Seeing this, Will just pulled a gun from his jacket and pointed at him, but he had disappeared before Will could take aim.

When the smoke cleared and the chaos settled, Theo was still crying over his dead brother and Will ran over to his injured uncle and helped him up.

"Let go of me!" Hannibal shouted as his stomach was bleeding heavily.

"I'm calling a medic." Will said. "I'm not letting you die."

"You fucking sadist." Hannibal muttered under his breath.

"Call me what you want, you're still family." Will said wrapping his uncle's wounds. "Hey, where did Olivia go?"

What Will didn't notice was that throughout the chaos, Olivia managed to sneak away and make her way over The Wall to South Paris. She knew what Caleb had done and she had to confront him about it.

* * *

Please Review.


	13. Olivia's Confession

A/N: Just a heads up, this chapter gets a little more adult near the end. I wasn't fond of writing this part, but I eventually decided to go with it because it'll add to some of the conflict you'll see later in the story, so don't take it like I'm writing this for the sake of having a sex scene (that's the last thing I want to do) and it's only as descriptive as it is because I feel that it tells the situation better, not because I like writing lemons. This will be the only time such a scene is shown, so feel free to skim over this chapter if it bothers you.

* * *

In the factory ruins in South Paris, Olivia was wandering around looking for Caleb, wanting to give him a few choice words.

"Alright, where are you?" She asked.

"Oh, Olivia." Caleb said walking from the other side of the factory. "What brings you here."

"Don't give me that, I saw that stunt you pulled." Olivia said angrily.

"Oh that." Caleb said. "Did you enjoy it?"

"No, I didn't enjoy it!" Olivia shouted. "How can I enjoy watching the deaths of hundreds of my own people?"

"They had it coming." Caleb said nonchalantly.

"Had it coming?" Olivia asked. "They were innocent civilians. They did nothing wrong!"

"That's your word for it: Innocent." Caleb said. "I would've picked a word more like 'Liars' or 'Thieves' or even "Murderers'."

"Is this still about your parents?" Olivia asked. "The citizens of North Paris didn't kill them, Will IV killed them."

"And you're willing to take a chance with the rest of the city?" Caleb asked.

"Because they did nothing wrong." Olivia said.

"Open your eyes!" Caleb said. "Look around you! All the destruction caused throughout the past century: War, disease, inflation, and genocide. All of that was fueled by man's lust for power and prestige. As long as humans exist, there is no hope for our world. Human nature has been the cause of all the atrocities of the world since the beginning of time and it will continue to be unless we do something."

"So you think because of a few mistakes people made over the years, that means humanity as a whole deserves to die?" Olivia asked.

"Given what has happened, of course."

"People are different, Caleb!"

"Every human on the face of the planet is the same!" Caleb exclaimed. "They all lie to benefit themselves, they look out only for themselves, they take and they take and they take and they take but never give more than they have taken. They keep more than they need just to satisfy their lust for luxury and fame at the expense of the less fortunate."

"Okay, let's say you're right and that humans are nothing but self-centered liars." Olivia said. "But does that necessarily mean that they'll stay that way? Don't you believe in redemption?"

"Nobody chooses their path, Olivia." Caleb said. "Everyone is bound by their nature to be as self-centered as they can."

"People can change, Caleb!" Olivia said. "We all have a choice. Every one of us."

"You can't change human nature."

"Change _is _human nature." Olivia said. "We can choose to change our ways if we really feel that we're hurting others. That's what makes every living creature so special."

"You name me one person who has done nothing but bad, but has changed his ways for the better, and I will take everything I've said back." Caleb said.

"How about Will Dunbar V?" Olivia said.

"He's part of the government and he's soon to be the next leader in only a matter of days." Caleb said.

"Doesn't make him a bad person." Olivia said.

"You saw what he did and what his soldiers have done." Caleb said. "You told me yourself that all he does is fuck whores and pays no attention to you."

"So?"

"So how can you say he's changed when he's still just as evil as he was before?"

Olivia said nothing.

"How?" Caleb asked again.

"Let me start from the beginning." Olivia said. "When I was a little girl, around five or six years old, I lived with two parents and a three year old sister."

"Okay." Caleb said.

"My sister and I were the best of friends and my mom was there for the both of us." Olivia said. She felt herself begin to cry. "She was such a nice woman, she did no harm to us or anyone."

"What about your father?" Caleb asked. Olivia just sighed.

"My father really loved me." Olivia said holding back tears. "I mean really, _really_, loved me. He loved me so much that he never left me out of his sight. He even wanted to sleep with me. The things he did, he…"

Olivia just paused as she took a deep breath.

"Three years later, when my mom saw what he had been doing, well…" Olivia said trying her best not to cry. "He stabbed her in the chest and threw her in the river."

She could take it no longer; she just broke down in tears.

"My sister and I ran away and we landed ourselves in an orphanage in the city." Olivia said.

"Wait, but you said your parents were the ones forcing you to get married." Caleb said. "How can that be possible if…"

"My _foster _parents." Olivia said. "We were adopted a few months later by a loving family. They were aristocrats and were looking for a daughter to wed the Grand Leader's son, who they arranged our marriage with."

"Go on."

"I didn't like him at first, but then he told me that he could get my father arrested for his crimes, even if it meant forging new evidence." Olivia said. "True to his word, he did just that; my sister and I have never been happier."

"Whatever happened to your sister?" Caleb asked.

"She…She…" Olivia said feeling herself about to cry again. "She was taken to the camps after our foster parents caught her praying to God only a year ago. By then I had moved in with Will and there was nothing I could do to save her, or even stop her."

Caleb said nothing.

"Will told me he would do whatever it takes to bring her back, even if it took forever." Olivia said. "It's one year later and he has yet to do it."

Olivia just kept crying. Caleb went over and hugged her.

"You were right, Caleb." She said crying in his shoulder. "Will is nothing but a liar and a killer. And I'm nothing but…"

"Let me stop you right there." Caleb said. "I'm sorry about what happened, but please understand this: It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. You had no one to turn to except him, and I don't blame you for doing so: This man put away the person who caused you the most pain and placed you under his wing when your foster parents had sent you away."

Olivia just kept crying.

"You had nothing to do with it." Caleb said. "He just managed to take advantage of your situation and use it to gain your trust. But over the years, you saw him for what he really was and you no longer loved him, even though you had already made a commitment. But despite the fact that you have every reason to hate him, you still see him as a good person simply because of the few good things he's done for you, but now you understand that a few good actions don't make a good person, especially when taking into consideration the actions he has done to his city and even yourself."

"I know." Olivia said.

"You know, when you first came to South Paris at that bar, I really felt like we were meant for each other." He said. "I had feelings for you like I never had with another person. Heck, I even _saved _you from being raped when if it were any other girl, I would've let it happen. Don't forget that."

"You're right." Olivia said as she stopped crying.

"Will wouldn't do that for you." Caleb said. "He only wants to marry to make a good image for himself."

"Yeah." She said. "Hey Caleb?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you be willing to let me sleep with you? Just for tonight, I mean."

"Absolutely." Caleb said as they both sat on the mattress on the floor. As they sat down, Olivia began removing her top.

"What are you doing?" Caleb asked.

"You ever have sex with another woman?" Olivia asked.

"Never consensual." Caleb said. Olivia then stood up and faced him.

"Consider this your first." She said.

Olivia then finished unbuttoning her top and tossed it aside, showing her large breasts. She then removed her skirt and panties, exposing her untrimmed labia. Caleb was taken back as the fully naked woman, standing only inches from him, crawled next to him and removed his clothes. When the both of them were fully unclothed, Olivia positioned herself on top of Caleb. The two kissed with their tongues entering each other's mouths and caressing each other's fully naked bodies.

* * *

Unknown to the both of them, they were being monitored by one of the Grand Army soldiers perched on top of The Wall. Once it finished filming the whole thing with its visor, the video was then sent through the web and made its way onto a laptop sitting on a desk in an empty room.

Meanwhile, in that very room, the door opened and a figure sat down in front of the computer and turned it on. He then noticed the video that was sent only now and clicked on it.

"Let's see here…" The figure said. Before the video played, a dialogue box popped up asking for his username and password. He began typing.

USERNAME: **WILLIAM DUNBAR V**

PASSWORD: ************

He then hit the enter key and the video began playing.

* * *

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	14. Will's Secret

It was dawn. Olivia woke up to find herself lying on top of Caleb. At this point, she was still used to waking up at the inn near town, but upon looking around, she had remembered that she had slept with Caleb and that they had sex. Still fully naked, she walked out of the 'room', used the bathroom and washed herself with Caleb's sponge and wash bucket. As she finished up, she found in the corner of her eye another opening in the floor. Enticed by her curiosity, she got dressed and made her way inside the opening.

She went down the makeshift stairs and found that this room, unlike the Killing Floors, was much smaller and was almost empty. Almost. She looked and saw running along the walls and floor were different colored strands of wires that started out separate but they all bunched together near a small hole on the wall near the floor that the wires continued to run through.

Olivia looked and saw a trunk near the corner. She opened it and looked inside to find a pile of remotes on top of a neatly stacked pile of papers. She looked and saw that the papers and remotes were all different colors, but that the colors on the remotes appeared to match the colors on the papers and the wires, almost as if they were color-coded.

"Just what are you up to, Caleb?" She said to herself.

Olivia then looked at one of the papers and saw that it was a map: A section of the city of North Paris was shown with crudely drawn red Xs in various points. She pulled out another paper and it had the same thing, only it was a different section of the city. She kept looking through the maps and saw more and more sections of the city with red Xs in various places. At the very bottom of the pile, after looking through all the maps, she found a black piece of paper that wasn't a map, but instead had the following words:

TO BE USED WHEN THE REVOLUTION IS COMPLETE

She saw that the paper had its own remote, colored black like the paper, and she saw a thick black wire running along side the middle of the floor and leading out to where the other wires intersect. She was about to walk out when she saw Caleb standing by her.

"How much did you see?" He asked.

"Not enough to know what all this is." Olivia said. "So what is all of this?"

"You remember that bomb attack yesterday at the funeral procession?"

"Yes."

"Well, this is the nerve center of it." Caleb said. "These wires lead to series of bombs planted under various points in the city. When I press a detonator of a certain color, a signal is sent across the wire of a same color and detonates the series of bombs at the particular area, represented by the map of the same color."

"How long have you had this?"

"Since I first came to the city." Caleb said.

"And where does the black wire lead to?" Olivia asked.

"Good things come to those who wait." Caleb said.

"So for four years, you've somehow been able to plant bombs under the city in almost every convenient location without being detected."

"It's not hard." Caleb said. "They can't see you if you're underground."

Olivia said nothing.

"Oh, you remember what today is?" Caleb asked. Olivia thought for a moment.

"That's right, it's Victory Day." Olivia said. "But how can I get past the guards? Security's tight during these events and if they found out I was in the South, I could be detained."

"They just had a public execution and the Wall Guards are busy cleaning up the mess, you should make it undetected." Caleb said. "The parade should be starting soon, you should make your way to the city."

"Right." Olivia said. "I'll be back shortly."

She then exited the room and made her way over The Wall and towards the city in the north.

"Godspeed, Olivia." Caleb said.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the city center, festivities were going on as the entire nation has gathered around to witness what is the biggest celebration in the city including a parade showing off the city's military and weapons. On the balcony of Zanbato Tower, Mackie walked up and made an announcement.

"Citizens of North Paris!" He said. The crowd went quiet. "It is with great pleasure that I announce the inauguration of our new leader: William Dunbar V."

The crowd just booed as he approached the balcony and waved to the crowd.

"Ah, my adoring public." Will said ignoring the jeers. "Today marks a new day, my people! With the ascension of our former leader, the Eternal Leader Will IV, to the afterlife with his father, Eternal Patriarch Will III, I will now take the reigns of this city as Exalted Guardian Will V."

The crowd booed some more as Will walked off and met with Theo and Mackie.

"Excellent work, my liege." Mackie said.

"Of course." Will said. "No do me a favor and kneel."

"Um, yes, my liege." Mackie said. Will pulled out his sword and pointed it towards him.

"In the name of the Eternal Patriarch and Eternal Leader, I hereby appoint you as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. You may rise."

"Seriously?" Mackie said. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Congratulations, Admiral." Will said as he put away his sword. He then met up with his brother and Carolyn.

"Theo." He said. "I just want to say I'm sorry about Jonah. He was my family too, and I'm willing to do anything to avenge him."

"So now you decide to show some integrity." Theo said. "About time, too."

Carolyn then turned to him.

"Promise me that justice will come." Carolyn said. "Put this horrible man in his place so that I and the rest of the city can sleep soundly at night knowing that little Jonah and all those who were killed can rest in peace."

She turned to Theo and cried in his shoulder as Theo hugged her back.

"Whatever it takes it, will be done." Will said.

"Well, it looks like I'd better go looking for a new admiral." Theo said.

"Oh, that won't be necessary." Will said.

"What do you mean?" Theo asked.

"I already appointed Mr. Jolivet as our new admiral."

"You what?" Theo said shocked. "No. You can't appoint a commanding officer without a unanimous vote from the inner circle."

"Yeah, it's a bit of an inconvenience." Will said. "That's why I disbanded the inner circle."

"Disbanded the-ARE YOU CRAZY?" Theo exclaimed. "How can you even do that?"

"The Grand Army." Will said. "Duh."

"And just what do you plan to do with the disbanded members?"

"Oh, definitely execution." Will said. "Reformatting for those who were most defiant."

"And what about Hannibal?" Theo said.

"What about him?" Will asked. "The old man's in the hospital, he can't make any decisions."

"And besides." Theo said. "Appointing officers is _my _job."

"As Supreme Leader, I outrank you. Therefore, I don't need your permission for anything." Will said. "Now if you excuse me, I'm watching the rest of the parade."

Theo just sighed and sat down. He knew arguing with his brother was now pointless.

Meanwhile, Olivia had just made her way to the city center and had approached the front door of Zanbato Tower where she was met by two guards.

"Can I help you, Madame?" One of them asked.

"Oh, umm…"

"Why aren't you at the parade with the others?" He asked. "Victory Day parade attendance is mandatory for all citizens."

"Hey, isn't that the liege's fiancée?" The second guard said.

"So it is." He said. "My apologies, Miss. You may proceed."

"Thank you." She said. As she went inside the building, the guard pulled out a communicator.

"Sir, she's here."

* * *

Olivia then made her way inside the building. Knowing the building inside and out, she had a clear idea of where Will's computer is normally kept, in his office, and where it was located. She made her away across the lobby and paused briefly and ducked behind a fountain when she saw three officers walk by. When they passed, Olivia carefully got up and walked away. However, something didn't seem right. When she used the side of the fountain to help herself up, she could've sworn she felt it move; it's almost as if it weren't fixed to the ground. Curious, Olivia pushed the fountain away some more and found a large staircase underneath it.

Olivia was definitely curious now. She climbed down the stairway, hoping to see where it goes. The staircase seemed to go on forever, but eventually, she found its end at the end of a dimly lit hallway. As she made her way across the hallway, she could've sworn she heard a faint screaming at the end. When she reached the end, all she found was a heavy, steel door. She opened the door and was shocked at what she saw: Stretching three stories tall was a multitude of prison cells filled to the brim with wailing, crying prisoners, begging for mercy. Olivia slowly walked down the hall as she looked in the cells and saw them filled with people of all types and ages, from the eldest of citizens to children no older than ten, even mothers with their infant children were locked up. Just then, she was pulled away and towards one of the cells by a locked-up prisoner.

"You got to help us!" He shouted looking at her with panicked, tear-stained eyes. "They're doing horrible things to us! It's only a matter of time before-"

Just then, he let her go and fell to the ground, clutching his head.

"No…No…" He said. "What have I done?"

"Prisoner 525-098." A voice from a nearby loudspeaker said. "You are in violation of your standby and are hereby subject to immediate reformatting."

The cell door then opened and two Grand Army soldiers and grabbed him by the arms.

"No, please don't!" He shouted as he was being dragged.

Olivia, for whatever reason, decided to follow them and see what was going to happen next. At the end of the hall was another door; she followed the soldiers and prisoner inside and couldn't believe what she was seeing: It was an immense laboratory with many rooms. She looked and saw that one room had a prisoner being branded with a hot iron and slowly having his burnt skin peeled off while he was screaming in pain. She looked and saw the words 'Torture Room' written above the door. Another room had a prisoner surrounded by doctors as they put syringes all over his body and injected him with who knows what was in them. She looked and saw that this was the 'Experiment Room'. Another room, the 'Arms Room', showed the testing of incredibly powerful weapons, similar to the ones used by the Grand Army during the executions.

At the other end of the lab, where the prisoner was being taken, there was a large, wooden platform, sitting upright with a doctor standing beside it. Olivia ducked behind a table as the prisoner was brought before the doctor.

"Is the subject ready?" He asked.

"Yes." One of the soldiers said.

They then placed the screaming prisoner onto the platform and chained him down by the ankles, wrists and neck. The doctor then placed a series of electrodes on his forehead and temples and tilted back the platform so that it was lying flat on the ground.

"Any last words?" The doctor asked.

The prisoner began to open his mouth but was unable to say anything as the doctor hit the switch. Olivia watched in horror as the prisoner writhed in agony when a visible electric charge emerged from the electrodes and enveloped his body. When he finally stopped struggling, the doctor hit the switch again. The platform leaned back to its upright position and the prisoner was unchained.

"Unit 0623. Activate." One of the solders said. The prisoner then sprung to life.

"Unit 0623 ready for outfitting." He said in the same tone as the Grand Army soldiers.

"Excellent." The doctor said rolling out a cart containing armor similar to the armor worn by the Grand Army soldiers. The four then left the room.

Olivia then got up as soon as the coast was clear, still shocked at what she just saw.

'That's how Will creates his soldiers?' She thought to herself. 'By turning prisoners into his own personal slave army? This can't go on.'

She was about to leave until she saw something on the table from the corner of her eye: Will's wrist computer.

'Bingo.' She thought.

She then grabbed it and turned it on. She looked on the screen and saw many files that seemed to go on for eternity. Anyone of those could be Zoltan's files, but she had to try. As she looked through them, she saw one folder that caught her eye: Written in bold print were the words: TOP SECRET. Enticed, she tapped on the folder and found that it was password-protected. Thankfully, she had spent enough time around Will to know how to access his info. She entered the password and opened the folder. Inside contained another folder labeled with only two words:

**PROJECT: APOCALYPSE**

Olivia opened the folder and saw it was filled with several files. As she viewed each file, she grew more and more tense. It talked all about XANA, Scipio, Zoltan and his plans for what to do with them. Olivia was scared; she never knew Will was planning to do anything at this scale.

"I have to warn Caleb." She said as she got up and ran out. Before she could leave however, the door closed in front of her and she was met with a familiar face when she turned around.

"I've been waiting for you."

* * *

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	15. Interrogation

In South Paris, Caleb and his gang were out in another gang fight. Sharpshooter and his cronies had formed a bastion within the confines of the ruins of an old Catholic cathedral in the middle of the Seine. Pinned down by gunfire, Caleb turned to Redmond and passed him a knife.

"Cover for me." He said. Redmond just nodded as he threw the knife at a nearby column.

The gunmen just fired at the column while Caleb hopped from rubble pile to rubble pile, stabbing each gunman crouched behind each pile. Eventually, he made his way up to Sharpshooter and held him to the floor.

"You have lost." Caleb said. Isaac, Danny and Redmond then walked up alongside him.

"Maybe you've bested me again." Sharpshooter said. "But heed this: Even after my death, that bounty will be claimed."

"Bounty?" Caleb said.

"Oh, you don't know?" Sharpshooter said. "North Paris has a bounty on your head. One hundred mill if you're brought alive. Oh yes, they know who you are ever since you robbed them of that computer drive."

"How do you know this?" Caleb asked. Sharpshooter just threw a piece of paper at his feet. Caleb picked it up and saw that it was a wanted poster with Caleb's picture.

"You aren't the only one stupid enough to traverse the city of the north."

"Oh shit." Isaac said. "Olivia wasn't kidding when she said she would punish you."

"Ah yes." Sharpshooter said. "You're old friend, Olivia."

"Caleb, what's he talking about?" Danny asked.

"Oh, you haven't told them?" Sharpshooter asked. "I know you fucked that northern slut. "

"How did you know about that?" Caleb asked.

"I didn't. I thought it was just a rumor." Sharpshooter said as he slowly pulled a pistol out from one of his pant legs with his foot. "You seriously did it with a North Parisian? And here I thought you were too patriotic for that."

"My patriotism for the city has nothing to do with it." Caleb said. "What matters is that we have something and I'm willing to see past her heritage."

"Do you?" Sharpshooter asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know that she's not using you to get the bounty?" Sharpshooter said. "These people are too loyal towards their motherland. They will do anything to let your guard down."

"Olivia is nothing like that." Caleb said. "We understand each other, we feel for each other. And we will be together no matter what."

"You've grown soft, Caleb." Just then, with lightning fast reflexes, Sharpshooter kicked the gun to his hand and fired at Caleb's shoulder. Caleb just cringed in pain as Sharpshooter ran away. "You're lying to yourself, Caleb. Don't continue to deny it."

"Are you alright, my Prince?" Redmond asked.

"I'll be fine." Caleb said getting up.

"Seriously though, what's this about being with a North Parisian?" Danny asked.

"I met her near Lucky's bar." Caleb said. "I saved her from Sharpshooter and she agreed to have me protect her."

"That's not exactly what…"

"Isaac, hush!" Caleb said. "Anyways, it's okay guys. It turns out she hates the government just as we do."

"Are you sure about that?" Danny asked.

"Trust me guys." Caleb said. "She went to the city to get some supplies I need. She should be back in no time."

* * *

*SLAP*

"I thought we had a deal, Olivia."

*SLAP*

"I thought we would be together always."

Olivia was tied up to a chair in a dimly lit room. Her hair a mess, her face swollen and covered in bruises and scars as Mackie and Theo beat her upon command by their superior, Will.

"Oh, Olivia." Will said. "I didn't want this to happen too, but you left me with so little options."

"What…do you…mean?" Olivia said weakly. "I swear I saw nothing."

"Oh, that won't do." Will said. "Even so, discovering the _Artemis_' hidden hanger and finding the source of the Grand Army pales in comparison with what you have to offer me."

"What _do _I have to offer you?" Olivia asked.

"Don't play games with me, you little shit." Will said. "The South Parisian. Where is he?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh you don't?" Will asked. He then pulled out a small device and pressed a button. Immediately, a burning sensation, ten times worse than any other pain, was felt in Olivia's head. She just screamed in pain as the pain continued.

Will then turned off the device.

"This doesn't ring a bell?" Will said showing her a series of photographs of her in bed with Caleb. Olivia's eyes just grew wide.

"Or maybe this?" Will said playing a video depicting the whole moment of Caleb and Olivia's intimacy.

"How…did…?" Olivia asked. "How…?"

"Now based upon the photo taken during the Zanbato heist and the eyewitness reports during the funeral massacre, I can conclude that this is the same person." Will said. "Now tell me who he is."

"You had better do it." Mackie said. "This city needs it."

"I will tell you nothing."

Will hit the device again. Another searing pain entered Olivia's head as she screamed.

"Oh, you're so confused." Mackie said. "Don't you see? You're a North Parisian, remember? That means you have to do the right thing for this city if it needs it. And right now it does. Now, be a good citizen and tell us the name of the man you slept with."

"I refuse to say anything." Olivia said. "Will, I know what you're planning to do with the Scipio files."

"What are you talking about?" Theo said.

"He's using Scipio as a weapon to wipe out the human race."

"Nonsense." Mackie said. "Scipio isn't a weapon, it's a revolutionary idea."

"That can mean anything, Mackie!" Olivia shouted. "He's built a program called XANA, based off a program that existed 100 years ago, and I accidentally released him onto a virtual world called Lyoko and now he and Zoltan are running free through the Internet."

"Enough with the lies!" Theo said. "There's no such thing as virtual worlds."

"Actually, Theodore." Will said. "There are."

"Come again?" Theo asked.

"I'm impressed, Olivia." Will said. "I didn't think you'd decipher my plans. But now it's too late and there's nothing you and your friend can do to stop me."

"What are you going on about, my liege?" Mackie asked.

"Now let's try this again." Will said. "You see, this city is a proud place. We need to create a sense of security and prosperity amongst the citizens, something that your terrorist friend has threatened to take away. And if that happens, there goes our way of life. Now tell us about the terrorist."

"He's only a terrorist because he fights for what is right." Olivia said. "You claim prosperity, but really all you've done is establish isolation and oppression for three generations. You're a murderer and a liar and when he gets his revenge, you're regime will crumble and you will finally have reaped what your grandfather had sown: The ashes of your imaginary kingdom."

"Now what's this about revenge?"

"You should know." Olivia said. "You were there when you shot and killed his parents during the purges. Four years ago near the construction site of The Wall, you drove by and shot and killed an innocent couple who were North Parisians like yourself!"

"Wait." Theo said with a hint of concern. "Is she referring to…?"

Will just burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?" He said. "Those were _his _parents? Olivia, we were aiming for a poor couple that had snuck into the city. His parents were not the intended targets."

"Wait." Olivia said. "You're saying that…?"

"…Your terrorist friend's disillusioned freedom crusade is the result of nothing more than a misunderstanding." Will said still laughing. "You proud of yourself now? Now that you know that you have nothing to defend, tell us his name."

"Everything else I've said still stands." Olivia said. "Regardless of the misunderstanding, he still has a goal in mind: To put an end to a regime who's expiration is long overdue. Beat me until I'm dead, his name will die with me."

Will just sighed.

"Oh dear." He said. "I really didn't want things to come to this, but you leave me no option."

Olivia just looked at him curiously.

"I think you should know that me and your father have talked a bit since his imprisonment and shall I say he's rather looking forward to meeting you."

"You wouldn't." Olivia said shocked.

"I figured it would only be fair to grant him a full pardon, granted he remains under house arrest."

"You're not." Olivia said slightly raising her voice.

"And as punishment for your insolence, it would only be fair to place you under house arrest along with him." He said. "You'll finally be reunited and you can begin making amends. And you'll never, ever be apart again."

"Will, you can't!" She shouted. "You can't do that!"

"Oh I can." He said. "Now if that's not enough, here's something else: Your sister is still alive. Talk and I'll free her and you can see her all you want while your father still rots in prison. If you refuse, I slit her throat in front of the whole city."

"YOU MONSTER!" She shouted with tears in her eyes. "YOU SELF-CENTERED, SADISTIC HELLSPAWN! I WON'T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN, I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

"You'll start by spilling the truth!" Will shouted to her face. "Who is the terrorist? Who's threatening my security? Who killed Jonah Dunbar? ANSWER ME NOW, YOU INSOLENT CUNT!"

"His name is Caleb Stern." She said crying. "He lives in the factory ruins on Ile Seguin right up against the south side of The Wall. He leads a gang of three others and they're the only ones who have stepped into the city, I swear."

Will said nothing. He then turned to Mackie.

"Get Kurnip on the line." He said. "Tell him that he'll be expecting company."

"What do you plan to do?"

"It's not what I plan to do, Olivia." Will said. "It's what you're going to do for us."

"I don't follow."

"I'll brief you shortly, but in the meantime…"

Will then snapped his fingers; Mackie and Theo each held up one of Olivia's legs and spread them apart. Will then went over and tore off her panties, exposing her naked womanhood. Will then lowered his pants.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked shocked.

"After the incident with the terrorist, it only makes sense to repurify you…"

* * *

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	16. The Resistance

Back in the south, Caleb and his gang were walking down the streets from the cathedral ruins and back to the factory. After reaching his destination, Caleb turned to his cronies and paused.

"So, I guess we'll meet back tomorrow." Caleb said.

"Of course." Redmond said. "I can guarantee you that we'll meet again soon."

"Redmond's right, my Prince." Danny said. "You're worth more to us than you think. Now, we must be heading off."

"So early?" Isaac asked.

"Something came up." Danny said. "We have to check around the city."

"Okay then." Isaac said.

Redmond and Danny then ran off while the other two walked over to the factory. Isaac couldn't help but notice that Caleb seemed rather distant since his confrontation with Sharpshooter.

"Anything wrong, my Prince?" Isaac asked.

"If you knew today was your last day on Earth, would you try to change for the better?"

"Is that what this is about?" Isaac asked. "Come on, you're Caleb Stern, the most powerful man in the South. You could handle any challenge if it came to you."

"What if he's right, though?" Caleb said. "What if being with Olivia has made me soft? She could be using me right now and lowering my guard so I can be ambushed."

"Now you're being paranoid." Isaac said. "Olivia's cooperated with us so far. What would she have to gain from turning you in?"

"Proof of her loyalty to the city for one thing." Caleb said. "Not to mention the reward money."

"Well why would she wait until now to do it?" Isaac asked.

"To sell the deception." Caleb said.

"That's a rather hasty conclusion." Isaac said. "In just five sentences, you went from being unsure to being completely sure that she's after you."

"Think about it." Caleb said. "She's from the north and she was sent to bring me in. She only hesitated because she wanted to find out what the regime was doing with Lyoko."

"But she hesitated nonetheless. Had it been anyone else, you'd be rotting in prison by now, or worse. " Isaac said. He then noticed something in the factory. "Hey, what's that?"

Caleb turned to where Isaac was looking and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lying on his mattress, curled up, was a wounded girl with tattered clothing, crying. Caleb immediately recognized her.

"Olivia!" Caleb shouted as he ran over towards her. "What happened to you?"

"Caleb." She said hugging him. "Thank God you're here."

"I don't understand." Caleb said. "Who did this to you?"

"W…Will…di…did…this." She said holding back tears. "He caught me be…before I could ch…change…the…f…iles…He beat me…He raped me."

"He what?" Caleb asked. Olivia just broke down again, hugging him tightly.

"And the cycle continues." Isaac said. "How many more seas must be sailed until land is seen?"

"I'll tell you." Caleb said, his temper rising. "More than enough. For years too many, I've hit hard this city and it's regime and left many permanent scars, but only now do I realize that I've made no impact. I've only struck the body of this tapeworm, but now I see that I must go for the head."

"What are you saying?" Olivia said.

"To put an end to this madness, I must strike the Dunbar regime's highest point." Caleb said. "I must kill Will Dunbar."

"Even if you kill him, there's still the matter of destroying XANA." Isaac said. "He and Zoltan are in the Internet as we speak planning who knows what. Stopping Will won't stop them."

"If I can stop Will, I can reprogram Zoltan to stop XANA and end any and all future troubles."

"And what if you die?" Isaac said. "I've looked out for you since your parents died, I won't be the one to bury you."

"Then I'll make sure you won't."

"Wait a minute." Olivia said. "If you're going out, you'll need help."

"I won't jeopardize the rest of the city and its people, Olivia."

"I meant in North Paris." Olivia said. "I know a person who leads a group of defectors that can help you."

"That's interesting." Isaac said.

"His name is Alfred N. Kurnip." She said. "He runs a nightclub at the top of the Tower Prime."

"And where is that?" Caleb asked.

"You can't miss it." Olivia said. "It's the second tallest building in the city, just fifty meters shy of Zanbato Tower's height."

"Oh yeah, I've seen that tower." Isaac said. "But Alfred N. Kurnip. Why does that name sound so out of place?"

"Then that's where I'll go." Caleb said. "An enemy's enemy is only a friend, regardless of their faction. But first, there's something I must show you. Both of you."

* * *

Caleb then led them out of the factory and led them down the middle of the road parallel to the river. After walking for nearly a mile, they came across an abandoned storage facility. Caleb walked up to a nearby storage unit and opened the large metal door.

"I don't believe it." Olivia said as she looked inside.

Inside the shed, there was a group of people doing various things: One group was looking over a map in the center of a large table, another was learning how to handle the various weapons that were scattered throughout the area and another was being fitted with some kind of makeshift light armor.

"What is all this?" Isaac asked.

"This is the resistance." Caleb said. "You see, the only reason that South Paris hasn't been invaded is due to the fact the north thinks that we have power in numbers. While that is true, what they don't realize is that I'm the only one who has been threatening them."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Isaac asked.

"I'm getting to that." Caleb said impatiently. "Should I be found out and put out of the way by the North Parisians, they'll invade thinking that we are defenseless, thus giving us the opportunity to ambush them."

"An A for effort, I guess." Isaac said.

"Caleb, your plan isn't going to work." Olivia said. "The regime is stronger than you think."

"If we didn't know that, we wouldn't be carrying out this operation." A voice from the other side of the area said. Olivia looked up and saw a man who looked oddly familiar.

"General Sarrazin?" She asked. "Caleb, what are you thinking? He's a regime commander."

"He used to be a regime commander, now he's on our side." Caleb said.

"I defected to the resistance two years ago." Sarrazin said. "I couldn't stand by and let Will and Philippe's armies strike fear and death in their own people."

"Philippe is dead now, Jonah Dunbar too." Olivia said. "Now Mackie Jolivet leads the armies."

"Jolivet?" Sarrazin asked. "He's a businessman. How could he possibly lead the strongest army to any victory?"

"Cronyism." Caleb scoffed. "Flawed in every aspect."

"Wait, you've had this for two years?" Isaac asked.

"Three." Caleb said.

"Isaac my boy!" Isaac heard a voice shout. He turned to see Lucky and Caleb's messenger boy at one table.

"Dad? Messenger boy?" Isaac asked. "You're part of this too?"

"Since the beginning." Lucky said.

"You don't know what you're dealing with." Olivia said.

"But we do." Sarrazin said pulling out a map and throwing it on the table. "Check it out."

Olivia looked and saw that it was a whole map of Western Europe. On the map were large black circles not only on the picture of France, but also on Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Iberian Peninsula.

"I don't understand." Olivia said.

"These are the hidden provinces." Sarrazin said. "After the Napoleonic Campaign, Will IV formed unincorporated boroughs of North Paris occupied only by select members of the inner circle. Each is in charge of the overseeing of a certain branch of the regime."

"Impossible." Isaac said. "After the campaign, Paris remained the only civilization. If not, then how come we haven't heard of them."

"There's a lot of this regime that you don't know." Olivia said. "You could fill a whole book with the things they don't tell the public."

"So you see, we know more about what Will has up his sleeves than the north city itself." Caleb said.

"So where did you get the weapons?" Isaac asked.

"Sarrazin managed to steal an armory full of surplus weaponry, including surface-to-air ion cannons for our attack on the fleet." Lucky said.

"You want to take down the _Artemis_?" Olivia asked.

"Is that wrong?" The messenger boy asked.

"It functions as a prison transport; Will's using them as human shields." Olivia said.

"And how do you know this?" Isaac asked her.

"Because she's the fiancée of the man who owns the ship." Caleb said. "Of course she knows it inside and out."

"Right." Olivia said.

"Well we can't just attack the ship then." Lucky said. "We'll just have to repel the attacks."

"Why?" Isaac said. "I think we can afford a few friendly-fire casualties if it means accomplishing the biggest of goals."

"We will not be responsible for the murder of our own unarmed kind." Caleb said. "We will not resort to their level."

"Yes sir." Lucky said.

"I must be going now." Caleb said. "I hear from Olivia that we have a high-ranking defector in the North."

"Godspeed, Caleb Stern." Lucky said. "But first, go over our plan of attack once more."

"Absolutely." Caleb said.

* * *

Just then Olivia turned and noticed that Isaac was walking away, towards the factory. After walking for nearly a mile, she came across Isaac on The Wall opening the trunk of the Tesla and climbing in.

"What are you doing?" Olivia asked scaling The Wall.

"I have too much of a bad feeling about this." He said. "I won't allow him to endanger himself, and if you know what's right, neither should you."

"I'm sorry." Olivia said. "But I have to stay behind."

"Why?" Isaac asked. "It's pretty obvious you hate the regime as much as the next person. Now's your chance to help fight."

"I can't blow my cover." Olivia said. "It could be dangerous. Will caught me once, imagine if he does it again."

"Then you'll have another chance to fight back." Isaac said. "Think about it."

Isaac then closed the trunk. Olivia, knowing that no one was around, immediately took out a small device and placed it in one of the wheel wells of the vehicle.

"Olivia." Caleb said. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to wish you good luck." Olivia said.

"Well thanks." Caleb said. "You know, I'm glad we met. You staying in the South was the first sign that maybe I have a chance to change things after all."

"Oh, well…"

"For that, I thank you." Caleb said. Olivia just sighed.

"Caleb, wait!" Olivia said. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Let it wait." Caleb said. "Like all good things."

Olivia, knowing full well what Caleb was heading into and knowing she may never get another chance, immediately leaned over and planted a kiss on Caleb's lips. Caleb just wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. They then broke away.

"So long, Olivia." Caleb said. He then hopped inside the Tesla and drove away, ready to face the city once again.

* * *

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	17. Return to the City

As Olivia saw Caleb drive off, she climbed down from The Wall and made her way back to the resistance hideout. She met with Sarrazin and the messenger boy who were already formulating their strategies.

"You're preparing already?" She asked.

"Ah, Miss Olivia." Sarrazin said. "We are as a matter of fact."

"And what makes you think North Paris will strike anytime soon."

"Before he showed you around, Caleb came to us." The messenger boy said. "He said a bounty had been placed on him and once he sets foot outside the city, there's no telling if he'll make it back."

"So he knows he's putting himself in danger by finding Kurnip and the North Paris defectors?"

"Exactly." Sarrazin said. "With Caleb in the hands of the regime, they won't feel threatened."

"So he's risking sacrificing himself just to bring the army out of hiding."

"Pyrrhic victory." The messenger boy said. "The loss of the greatest fighter means a victory for the greater good."

"Well, have you seen Lucky around?" She asked. "I wanted to tell him something."

"He's back at the inn preparing for the Arrival." Sarrazin said. "If I were you, I would join him."

"I'll do that, thanks." Olivia said.

Olivia walked away and left them to their planning. After a short walk, she reached the inn where Lucky was at the bar, wiping clean with the dirty glasses left for him.

"Cleaning up for the day, I see." Olivia said.

"Why not?" Lucky said morosely. "This may be our last."

"You don't have much faith in Caleb, do you?"

"Drawing Will and his army out of hiding doesn't guarantee any victory." He said. "It'll only show that they're willing to take us down."

"Perhaps." Olivia said. "Or maybe it'll show that this city, so rich in it's culture, is willing to die fighting for what it stands for. Whether or not it feels like it can. And once that sun rises and sets again and if we still stand, it'll show that power lies not within one's technological or militaristic advances, but through the drive and devotion of a unified people."

"Indeed."

"You know, as much as it goes against his plans, I really don't want Caleb to be in any danger." Olivia said.

"Neither do we." Lucky said. "But if he feels that it may help, so be it."

"But I love him." Olivia said. "And even though all I want is the best for him and the people he has fought for, I can't live with the guilt should he die."

"Now what's this about guilt?" Lucky said. Olivia just sighed.

"There are no North Paris defectors." Olivia admitted. "I set Caleb up the whole thing. Once he reaches his destination, Kurnip and Will will spring an ambush and capture him."

"Then both sides will get what they want." Lucky said.

"But I never wanted to be involved, especially if it meant going against the man I love. He'll die if Will gets his hands on him, or worse. Even if his capture is instrumental, that doesn't mean his torture will be." Olivia said. "All I want is to make things right."

"Then do it." Lucky said.

"What?" Olivia said.

"If you love him so much, you'll do what you can to save him." Lucky said. "That's what true love is."

"But if I defy Will…" Olivia said. "…He'll kill my sister and trap me with my horrible father."

"Then find the lesser of two evils." Lucky said. "Every problem has a solution. Even if it comes at too great a cost to yourself or those you love."

"So what? I should just let my sister die and let my father keep abusing me?" Olivia asked. "I won't allow it!"

"Then it seems that your choice is clear." Lucky said.

Olivia just turned around and walked out, but not before pausing at the doorway and turning back.

"No." Olivia said. "I won't let Will get away with any of this. I'll make sure he won't touch my sister. And at the same time, I'll make sure Caleb will be safe. Isaac's right. This is my next chance to stand up to Will and stop his plans. And I'll make sure he doesn't harm _either _of the people he's threatened!"

Olivia then ran off, on her way to accomplish her goal.

"Be wary, my friend." Lucky said. "The regime always finds a way."

* * *

In North Paris, a car pulled up in front of Zanbato Tower. Out of the car stepped none other than Hannibal Dunbar. He walked over to the main entrance and into the foyer. Expecting a big welcome, he was surprised that almost nobody seemed to pay him any notice. Wanting an explanation, he walked over to the nearest guard.

"Excuse me." Hannibal said. "Mind telling me where Will Dunbar is?"

"Do you have an appointment sir?" He asked.

"You know me." Hannibal said. "I'm his uncle; a member of the inner circle."

"Sir, the inner circle no longer exists."

"What?" Hannibal exclaimed.

"Will Dunbar V disbanded the circle in favor of the Grand Army and hidden provinces." The guard said. "Now do you have an appointment?"

"No." Hannibal said. He then raised his cane and opened fire at the guard, killing him.

'Now to find Will.' He said to himself.

As he was looking around, he noticed the bookcase on one of the walls. For a minute, he thought he saw something out of place. He looked closer and saw his suspicions were proven correct: A thin crack, an inch from the right side of the bookcase, ran straight down from the length of the bookcase to the floor. Grasping onto the crack with his fingernails, he was surprised to find that the wall and bookcase slid away quite easily. He then found himself staring down into a dark room with only a large staircase.

Still curious, Hannibal made his way down the staircase. As he kept walking, the room kept getting dimmer and dimmer until it was nothing but pitch black. After walking for nearly a minute, he reached the bottom of the stairs (or at least that's what it felt like). Through the darkness, he could see a faint light straight ahead. Using the light as his guide, Hannibal walked straight ahead. As he walked, the light got bigger and brighter. Once he reached the end, he realized that the light was a doorway. He looked inside and found an enormous room with a large table. Seated near the head was Will with Mackie and Theo standing by his sides. Seated around the table were five other people that Hannibal couldn't recognize. Hannibal listened closely to what they were talking about.

"Gentlemen, have we received results of the terrorist's current status?" Will asked.

"A tracking beacon was placed on the suspects vehicle shortly prior to his departure to the city center." A man said. "The Luxembourgian Radars managed to pick up the signal and redirect it to the _Artemis_'s radar systems. You should be able to track the vehicle on your computers."

"Thank you, Mr. Ethridge." Will said. "Mr. Salazar?"

"The Iberian Espionage has played their part." Another man said. "They're with Kurnip waiting for the terrorist as we speak."

"Excellent." Will said. "Now with the terrorist out of the way, we can get to the next order of business: Gentlemen as you all know, South Paris has been a vulnerable target for years since my father laid siege with the rest of this now-forsaken continent. Only now have I finally laid down the foundation of my new empire. With your support, we can obliterate the south city and begin anew."

"Your drawing plans for treason if you attempt such a feat." One man said.

"Spare me your sympathy, Mr. Gottlieb, it matters not here." Will said. "Mr. Dietrich?"

"The Germanic Federation will pledge support for the good of its ally." Another man said. "Our fleet will be yours for the taking, my liege."

"The Swiss Union will gladly fund your campaign, my liege." The last man said.

"Thank you, Mr. Erikson." Will said. "Now, let's take a final vote."

"If it's the will of the others, then the Belgian Province will offer a reluctant vote." Mr. Gottlieb said as the rest raised their hands.

"Excellent." Will said. "Mr. Jolivet and Zanbato Industries have already agreed to supply our weapons while I supply our soldiers."

He then turned to Mackie.

"Mackie, prepare the _Artemis_." Will said. He then turned back to the rest of the table.

"Now that we have each other's backing an with the terrorist soon in captivity, our plan will go unhindered." Will said. "We will stand. We will fight. We will rise from the ashes of our enemies and the rubble of the old world. Tomorrow, we will reign as one!"

Will then stood up.

"Long Live The Patriarch."

"Long Live the Patriarch." The rest said as they stood up in unison.

As the rest left the room, Will turned to the doorway where Hannibal was standing.

"Alright, Hannibal, it's safe to come out." Will said.

"You knew I was there the whole time?" Hannibal asked stepping out.

"As ruler of the free world, I have to know these things." Will said. "Now go to the turbine room and wait for my command."

"Very well." Hannibal said as he walked through the same door that the others went through.

* * *

Back above ground, Caleb had just arrived at his destination: The Tower Prime. As he stepped out, he heard the trunk pop open. He turned and saw his friend fall out and hit the ground.

"Isaac?" Caleb asked.

"I couldn't leave you to do this alone." Isaac said. "This can't turn out good."

"Now that's what I call a role reversal." Caleb said. "Now you're the one with doubts."

"Caleb, I'm serious." Isaac said. "For a man with such a high bounty on his head, don't you find this to be too easy?"

"It must be the North Paris resistance welcoming us." Caleb said. "Now let's go."

"Alright." Isaac said as they stepped inside.

Inside the building, they found only a glass elevator at the end of a short hall. Caleb and Isaac stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator rose above the roof of the floor and along the side of the building, giving them a clear view of the city. Caleb waited patiently for the elevator to reach his destination while Isaac was still fearful of what may and will come.

* * *

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	18. Alfred N Kurnip

Inside the _Artemis_, Will and the provincial leaders made their way across the main bridge. As they paused, Mackie, sitting in the captain's chair, rose and walked up to Will and kneeled before him.

"At ease, Admiral." Will said. Mackie then stood back up. "Do we have the homing beacon locked in?"

"Affirmative, my liege." Mackie said. "The terrorist is parked at the Tower Prime and has likely made his way in as we speak."

"Excellent." Will said. "Power us up and take her to the skies."

"Yes, my liege." Mackie said. He then turned to the rest of the crew. "Alright, men, take her up!"

The rest of the crew turned to their positions and began powering on the ship as the various members confirmed the statuses of each of the ship's functions.

"Activation of starboard and port stabilizers. Check."

"Powering on of main turbines. Check."

"Powering on of auxiliary turbines. Check."

"Interior pressurizing systems are normal."

"Vertical thrusters at 100% power."

"Horizontal thrusters at 100% power."

"Communication systems are all functional."

Mackie then gave the order.

"Releasing hangar supports in 3…2…1…Take off."

The ship then lifted off the ground, gradually gaining speed. After a few seconds, the city skyline could be seen out of its large, panoramic window.

"Take her to the Tower Prime and wait for my signal." Will said. "And try not to make us noticed."

Mackie then punched in a few commands on the armrest of his chair.

"Activating camouflage imagery." Mackie said.

The ship then appeared to vanish among the dusk sky as it made its way to its destination.

'I guess I owe you one, Hannibal.' Will thought to himself.

* * *

Back at the Tower Prime, Caleb and Isaac felt the elevator come to a stop. Once the doors opened, loud music permeated the area and entered their ears. It seemed to be some sort of electronic music, progressive house to be exact. Caleb and Isaac slowly walked down a wide hallway where two bouncers guarded a nearby doorway. The bouncers paid them no notice as they made their way inside and saw that they were inside a nightclub: The floor was lit up with alternating blue lights while multicolored lights shone from above, people were dancing to the beats of the music. Those who weren't dancing were either sitting at the massive bar at the center, drinking cocktail after cocktail, or sitting in one of the posh chairs being given lap-dances by scantly-clad women or even making out with them. At the end of the club was a raised platform where a DJ was giving the musical selections. He was standing behind very high-tech equipment and surrounded by what appeared to be some sort of tiny floating crystals.

"How are we supposed to find Kurnip in all of this mess?" Isaac said.

Caleb then looked around to see that some of the partygoers were glaring at them suspiciously.

"Keep them busy while I look around." Caleb said.

"How do you suppose I do that?" Isaac asked.

"I don't know." Caleb said. "Just dance, loosen up, have a good time."

"I can't dance." Isaac said.

"Well now's the perfect time to learn, don't you think?" Caleb said. He then walked off.

After scanning the perimeter, he came across a man in an all-white suit and combed white hair, laughing and conversing with one of his patrons.

"Excuse me, Sir." Caleb said. The man turned and faced him.

"Can I help you, young man?" He asked. "What is it that's so important that it has to interrupt my pleasant conversation."

"I'm looking for Alfred N. Kurnip." Caleb said.

"I see." The man said smiling.

"Do you know him?" Caleb asked.

"Let's just say I'm a _very _close acquaintance of his." He said. "Someone who's so close, he's almost non-existent to anyone else."

"Don't play mind games with me, that's my job." Caleb said. "He's you, isn't he?"

"Guilty as charged." He said grinning. "What can I do you with?"

"Will's planning an invasion in South Paris and we hear you're leading a group of underground defectors."

"We?"

"Me and my partner-in-crime, Isaac." Caleb said. "We've come to bargain for your support and allow you to join our cause and repel the invasion."

"And you are?"

"My name is Caleb Stern." Caleb said.

"Ah yes." Kurnip said. "The little rapscallion who has the bounty on his head."

"I'm the only means of defense in the south city." Caleb said. "Without me, Will will no longer feel threatened and carry on the invasion."

"So why leave them to their doom?"

"I just told you." Caleb said. "We need to bargain for your support should anything happen. I'm lucky to have made it this far already."

"'Tis a conversation needed to be secluded from these low-class dogs." Kurnip said. "Come with me."

Caleb then turned to Isaac, who was showing off his moves.

"Isaac, I found Kurnip!" He shouted. "Now come on."

Isaac then stopped dancing and followed Caleb and Kurnip up to the end of the room. Kurnip then tapped on the wall revealing a hidden staircase.

"Here's my private lounge. We'll discuss things there." Kurnip said. He then turned to the DJ.

"Move on to the next mix, my friend." He said. "The guests are looking for a change in pace."

The DJ just nodded as he touched one of the 'crystals' in front of him and dragged it towards three others. He then pulled them out and placed them on a flat device. He tapped it a few times and suddenly the music faded away and changed.

"Let's go."

Kurnip led them upstairs to a large room. Inside the room were two sofas and a minibar. On one of the walls was a large window that overlooked the rest of the club.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Kurnip asked.

"I'll have a shot of your hardest rum." Isaac said.

"Give me an Everclear." Caleb said.

"Coming right up." Kurnip said walking over to the bar. Isaac couldn't help but notice the odd way their host was walking; almost as if he had a combination of a limp and stiff legs.

As Kurnip reached behind the bar, he pressed a small button right underneath the counter. Outside, a giant beacon lit up on top of the tower. Kurnip then grabbed their drinks and handed them to his guests.

"Now where were we?" Kurnip asked.

"We need your resistance to counter a potential invasion by the regime upon our city." Caleb said. "I have a hunch that Will's planning something on a much larger scale than we can comprehend and I can't do it alone."

"You have a hunch?" He asked.

"Yes, but we have evidence." Isaac said. "He rebuilt a computer program called XANA and he's using him and Zoltan to spread throughout the Internet, carrying out Will's orders."

"A computer program?" Kurnip said laughing. "He must be crazy."

"The problem is that XANA was pretty vague on the details and if we go back, Zoltan will have us killed." Isaac said. "He already proved to be more than a match to Caleb, imagine what XANA could do to us."

"You know that nobody would believe such a ridiculous story, don't you?" Kurnip asked. "Because of that, it has to be true."

"So you'll help us?" Caleb said.

"Oh, sure." Kurnip said walking to the bar. "Just let me grab something."

* * *

In the skies right outside the tower, the _Artemis _had just arrived at its destination. A few hatch doors opened on each side of the ship and a dozen Grand Army soldiers jumped out. They pressed a few buttons on their wrist armor and suddenly gossamer wing-like substance came from their arms and they began gliding to the tower.

Isaac, still suspicious, happened to notice the liquor license hanging on the bar and saw Kurnip's name spelled out.

"Alfred N. Kurnip…Alfred N. Kurnip." Isaac said to himself. "Why does that…?"

Isaac's eyes just widened.

"Oh no…"

He then jumped up and dragged Caleb out of his seat.

"We gotta get out of here, now!" Isaac said.

"What are you doing?" Caleb said. "We have yet to finish the deal."

"There is no deal, we've been set up!" Isaac said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Alfred N Kurnip is…"

Just then, a pair of Grand Army soldiers burst into the lounge wile more soldiers crashed onto the main floor.

"Hold your fire." Kurnip said pulling out a gun. "We need him alive."

"Run!" Caleb said as he and Isaac broke through the window and jumped onto the main floor.

There, they found themselves surrounded by Grand Army soldiers on one side and bar patrons holding guns and other weapons on the other side.

"For my wife, Caleb Stern!" Kurnip shouted.

"We can take these guys." Caleb said drawing a pair of knives.

The bar patrons and soldiers then ran over to Caleb firing their guns. But Caleb and Isaac just dodged the attacks and knocked each soldier and bar scum out. Isaac swung his staff while Caleb threw knives and used the Everclear in his hand and a match as his makeshift flamethrower. Kurnip then fired his gun at Caleb's feet.

"Dance, you slum rat terrorist!" Kurnip shouted while shooting and laughing maniacally.

Caleb tried to dodge the bullets as he continued to fight off more soldiers and patrons. Isaac tried to block an attack with his staff, but a soldier blasted it, breaking it in half. After that, another patron ran up and punched him in the abdomen. Isaac then fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Isaac!" Caleb said running up to his companion.

However, Caleb paused when he felt something hard hit him in the back of the head. He was beaned with the barrel of a rifle and fell to the ground, disoriented.

Kurnip just fired his gun in the air in celebration as the rest of the patrons proceeded to kick and beat both Isaac and Caleb.

* * *

As the Grand Army was about to claim their prize, the lights dimmed and the patrons and Grand Army turned to see Olivia standing by the entrance.

"Take them down." Olivia said.

Immediately, a group of South Parisians, led by none other then Sharpshooter, made their way into the club and attacked many of the patrons and soldiers. Kurnip could only watch as Olivia walked up to Caleb and Isaac.

"Get up." Olivia said. "We have to leave now."

But it was too late; a nearby soldier shot a long cable from its wrist and trapped Olivia in it. The soldier then picked up Olivia while two other picked up Caleb and Isaac.

Immediately, giant beams of light came down and surrounded each of the soldiers. The soldiers then levitated up out of the building.

"Tactical retreat!" Sharpshooter said. "We've done all we could."

Leaving the patrons to succumb to their wounds, the South Parisians crashed through the windows and slid down the side of the building using long ropes.

In the sky, Olivia looked around and noticed she was being pulled up alongside her two friends. They eventually stopped when they were brought inside a large dark area: The inside of the mighty _Artemis_.

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	19. Confrontation

Meanwhile on Lyoko, Zoltan and Appius were making their way to the center of the arena. They had been summoned by their master XANA and were to be delivered a message. Once they arrived, the armor-clad figure emerged from the shadows of his throne and approached his subordinates.

"You called for us, Master?" Appius hissed.

"The Creator has urgent news for us." XANA said. "He said it is imperative that the three of us are present."

Just then, a large screen popped up showing Will V inside the cockpit of the _Artemis_.

"Welcome, my lord." XANA and Appius said as the trip bowed in his presence.

"Excellent tidings, my programs." Will said. "Our common adversary has been found. Caleb Stern will be in state captivity and we will continue unopposed."

"And what of the other two?" Appius asked.

"Leave that to me." Will said. "You may now continue with your final phase of Project Apocalypse. After this sun rises, we will be left to rule over this world; my dynasty will be complete. Transmission out."

The screen then disappeared as XANA turned to his two minions.

"You heard him." XANA said. "We'll meet with our prey at the loading bay."

* * *

Back on the _Artemis_, Will was standing in the center of the main bridge as he heard the door slide open. He turned to see his three prisoners, Caleb, Issac and Olivia being forced in by the soldiers of the Grand Army who had captured them.

"Caleb Stern!" Will said pretending to be excited. "How fortunate it is to finally meet you."

"Skip the pleasantries." Caleb said. "What do you want from us?"

"Oh, how rude. I've forgotten my manners." Will said. "My name is William Dunbar V. Leader of North Paris and soon-to-be Eternal Conqueror of All Worlds."

Caleb's eyes just narrowed.

"You…" He said.

He then broke free from his captor's grip and charged towards Will. With a smug look on his face, Will just grabbed Caleb's fist, bent it backwards and threw Caleb to the ground. Will then walked over and pinned him down with his foot.

"I highly recommend you consider the stance you're currently in if you know what's best for you." Will said.

"You think I'm just gonna bow to your feet like that?" Caleb said angrily. "You killed my parents; I won't let you go unpunished."

"I don't know what you're talking about. But you did kill my brother, for that, you must suffer."

Will then grabbed Caleb by the throat and landed a few punches to the side of his jaw. He then threw Caleb against the wall.

"I've been meaning to do this for a long time." Will said.

"Will, stop it!" Olivia cried. "You got what you wanted, just leave him alone."

"Stay out of it, wench!" Will exclaimed.

"It's going to take more than a couple cheap shots to make me kneel." Caleb said.

"Then perhaps this will." Will said snapping his fingers.

Just then, two officers emerged from their positions on the bridge and made their way to Caleb. Caleb got a good look and was in complete shock upon seeing their faces.

"Redmond? Danny?" Caleb said.

His eyes didn't deceive him. His two former comrades were dressed in North Parisian garb and met him with wicked smiles.

"Well, if it isn't Prince Caleb." Redmond said. "Fancy finally meeting you in this position."

"Impossible." Caleb said shocked. "You can't be…"

"You didn't honestly think we'd go softly on you since our scuffle in the factory, did you?" Danny said. "Remember who gave you the idea to steal the Scipio drive that ended with you being exposed to the government? Not to mention the benefits of having XANA 2.0 being placed in his predecessor's domain."

"Wait." Isaac said. "You two knew about Lyoko this whole time, didn't you? Will let the drive be stolen."

"You didn't honestly think my technology would suffice, did you?" Will said. "I needed Lyoko so that XANA could grow and spread all across the Internet. With Appius as my architect and Zoltan as my defense, XANA could grow at an unstoppable rate."

"But how did Danny and Redmond know about Scipio?" Isaac asked.

"When we broke into Dupre's house, we noticed a few classified documents hidden under his bed." Danny said. "It told us everything we needed to know, even how to trigger the alarms."

"Then you were the ones who exposed us." Caleb said.

"I must thank you, Caleb." Will said. "Had it not been for you, we never would've have rediscovered Lyoko and Scipio 2.0 would've never gotten as far as it did."

Caleb could only stand there shocked.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Will said. "You vowed to protect your feeble kingdom, but all you did was bring it closer to destruction."

"Not today!" Caleb said getting back up and charging towards Will.

Will just dodged the blow and threw Caleb to the ground.

"Fine." Will said. "We'll do this the hard way."

"Your blade, Sir." Mackie said walking up with Will's gilded sword.

"Save it, Mackie. I don't need that crap to kill him." Will said removing his jacket. "I want him to experience pain before death."

Will then ran up to Caleb and landed more and more punches to his abdomen. Caleb just got up and drew two knives, one in each hand.

"Ah yes." Will said. "I've heard you're quite the expert at close-range combat, but let's see how you fare against pure hand-to-hand."

Caleb just lunged at him with his knives, but Will managed to block and intercept each attack with just his bare hands. Will then managed to clap his hands around one of Caleb's blades and twist his hands so that Caleb would lose control, causing the blade to fall out. Will then grabbed the blade and kicked Caleb, which knocked him back causing him to hit his head on one of the ship's metal supports.

Completely disoriented, Caleb was unable to fight back as Will grabbed him by the throat and held him high in the air.

"Now let's see how you fare without the aid of light!" Will said taking his knife and slashing Caleb across his eyes, permanently blinding him. Caleb could only scream in pain as large amounts of blood poured from his eye sockets

"Without the aid of the air!" Will said landing hard punches on each side of his body, snapping his ribs and puncturing his lungs. Caleb tried to scream, but could only let out a defeated wheeze.

"Will, stop it please!" Olivia said in tears. "He's suffered enough."

"Without the aid of movement!" Will shouted ignoring Olivia's pleas. He then turned Caleb around and gave a hard knee right in the middle of his spine, snapping his vertebrae and rendering him limp and unconscious.

Will then dropped Caleb's body to the ground as Isaac and Olivia just looked in shock. Redmond and Danny then went over and examined him.

"He's still alive, Sir." Redmond said.

"Excellent." Will said. "Place him in the prison hold. Meanwhile, I want the other two under constant surveillance. Mackie, get my shuttle ready; I'll be giving Kurnip his reward now."

"Yessir." Mackie said. Will then turned to Theo.

"Theo, come with me." Will said.

"Yes, my brother." Theo said reluctantly as the two walked away from the main bridge and to the next room over. Redmond and Danny then followed then as they dragged Caleb's body away.

Isaac could only bow his head in defeat as he watched his close friend be carried away.

"I'm so sorry." Olivia said.

* * *

I do apologize for the recent lack of updates. I have been really busy with a lot of stuff and have been forced to re-prioritize due to some unforeseen circumstances (bad grades, depression, my Aunt's wedding, etc). Despite this however, I have yet to give up on this story, especially since I'm so close to the end. So bear with me and I'll have more chapters in the coming weeks.

Please Review.


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